Beer, wine, and liquor in Colorado could soon come with a few extra pennies tacked on, as a pair of Democratic lawmakers from Aurora and Boulder revive a plan to charge small per-container fees to bankroll alcohol-related prevention, treatment, and recovery services.
Under the proposal, drinkers would see roughly $0.03 added to a six-pack of beer, $0.05 to a bottle of wine, and $0.26 to a bottle of spirits. Small breweries would be exempt, and none of the new charges would kick in until July 2027. Supporters say those modest add-ons could create a steady stream of cash for programs they fear could be gutted as the state tightens its belt.
The bill, expected to be introduced in the House this week, is sponsored by Rep. Jamie Jackson of Aurora and Sen. Judy Amabile of Boulder. The Colorado Department of Revenue would collect the fees, while an oversight board would decide how to spend the money. Sponsors say three separate enterprise fees could together raise as much as $60 million a year, while keeping each fee under existing statutory caps. The proposal would also set aside about 2% of the revenue for federally recognized tribes and urban Indian organizations, and it would prioritize veterans for services, as outlined by Sentinel Colorado.
Why Lawmakers Say The Money Is Needed
Backers point to two converging problems: a looming hole in the state budget and Coloradans' relatively heavy alcohol use. Nonpartisan analysts have pegged a roughly $850 million structural deficit that will force hard choices this legislative session, according to CPR News. Public health data and national consumption reports place Colorado among the higher per-capita alcohol-consuming states, according to the NIAAA surveillance report, which supporters say strengthens the case for asking the industry to help pay for the damage.
Reactions From Advocates And Craft Brewers
Recovery advocates have largely welcomed the idea of a dedicated, predictable pool of money for services that are often cobbled together year to year. They argue that prevention programs, inpatient treatment, and long-term recovery supports need consistent funding if they are going to work.
"Prevention, treatment, and recovery need the full continuum and cannot lose pieces," Advocates for Recovery Colorado executive director Tonya Wheeler told reporters, underscoring that the system tends to fall apart when any link in the chain is underfunded.
On the other side of the bar, the Colorado Brewers Guild has been less enthusiastic. The group has warned that even small per-container fees could tighten the squeeze on craft brewers already wrestling with higher costs and softer demand. For some small operations, they argue, a few pennies a can can feel a lot bigger than it sounds on paper. The debate was reported by Sentinel Colorado.
Political Outlook And What Comes Next
The proposal is not walking into a blank slate. A similar enterprise-fee bill made it through the Senate in 2024 but stalled out in the House, a reminder that these kinds of measures can trip over both process and politics.
Gov. Jared Polis, during the last go-round, pushed for broad carve-outs for beer makers and warned that the fees could drive up prices for consumers. That set up a sharp policy clash with lawmakers who argued the industry should share more of the cost of alcohol-related harm. The new bill's sponsors will again have to steer through committee hearings, negotiate with industry groups, and haggle over exemptions and revenue targets as the measure moves through the session, according to LegiScan and reporting by KUNC.
How The Fees Would Sidestep A Statewide Vote
To avoid triggering a statewide tax vote under Colorado's Taxpayers' Bill of Rights, sponsors are structuring the charges as enterprise fees. In state law, an enterprise is essentially a government-owned business that is funded primarily by fees for its own services. Revenue for those enterprises generally does not count against TABOR spending limits, and properly structured fees do not have to go on the ballot.
Critics counter that using the enterprise model lets lawmakers raise and spend money that functions a lot like a tax increase, without asking voters first. They predict more legal and political fights over where exactly the line sits between a fee and a tax in Colorado. For background on how enterprises are treated in state law, see the Colorado General Assembly.
