Senator Ray Scott, from Mesa County, Colorado introduced the idea of taxing bicycles as a way to help pay for roads in Colorado. First presented on July 19, the senator wanted to “float” the concept to see if it’s viable. He suggested that a bill may be put forth in the 2018 legislature, following a recently-passed law in Oregon that added an additional tax to bicycle sales.

“We want to work with Senator Scott and the state legislature to find solutions to our transportation needs in the state,” said Dan Grunig, executive director of Bicycle Colorado. “We worked tirelessly on the transportation bill (HB 17-1242) in the 2017 legislature to ensure that people who walk, bike and take transit would be represented, but the bill ultimately failed.”

With the threat already building, we need your support more than ever. Help us to fight a bike tax – join today!

An extra tax on bicycles is a bad idea for many reasons:

• Bicycles are part of the solution for our roads, not the problem. More bikes on the road are better for everyone. Adding an additional tax to bicycle purchases is not the answer and could lead to reduced bicycle sales and fewer people riding.
• All bicycle purchases are subject to sales tax, and sales taxes are one of the many taxes that go toward paying for our roads. Adding an additional tax to bicycle purchases would be double taxation.
• And of course, bikes don’t contribute wear and tear to the roads as much as motor vehicles do. If more people commuted by bicycle instead of driving, our roads would be in better shape, requiring less maintenance and reduced expenditures to fix potholes and resurface.

If what is traditionally known as a pro-bike state like Oregon can pass a bicycle tax, it could happen here, too. Who will be representing bicyclists on this issue when the legislature opens in January? Bicycle Colorado. If you don’t want to see a tax added on bicycle purchases in Colorado, join today. Already a member? Consider an additional gift. We need your support more now than ever!