By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado
DENVER — Colorado voters may get the chance to repeal at least one of the many news fees set by the Colorado legislature in the recent past— the retail delivery fee of .29 cents on any tangible property that is delivered by motor vehicle.
The fee, which was passed by majority Democrats in the legislature in 2021 and amended in 2023, is scheduled to be reduced to .28 cents on July 1.
The money generated by the fee, nearly $90 million in 2023, is currently earmarked for transportation projects.
The ballot initiative language approved by the title board on May 21, would repeal the fee entirely. The measure is now awaiting approval of petitions to begin circulating for signatures. Supporters will then have six months to gather at least 124,238 signatures from registered Colorado voters.
Proponents are aiming for the 2026 general election as off year elections are reserved for ballot items that have a Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) implication, such as a tax increase or revenue limit override. Since the measure, currently numbered Initiative 51, will decrease fees, it does not meet the requirements for the 2025 ballot.
There are currently no fundraising committees registered with the secretary of state’s office on either side of the issue.
A repeal of the fee has been attempted by Republicans in the state legislature in both 2023 and 2025, but was shot down both times by majority Democrats.
Jeremy and Rick Nuanes, of Westminster and Golden, respectively, are listed as the designated proponents of the initiative.
It has long been argued that fees such as this amount to a regressive tax and has the most negative impact on low-income families. According to a report by NDP Analytics in September 2024, the “financial burden of retail delivery fees is 6.5 times higher for households with annual incomes under $25,000 compared to those with annual incomes of $200,000 or more.”
The report also noted that Colorado generated $14.8 million in the fees just from freshly prepared meals being delivered in in 2023.