2016 Election: What you'll pay if everything passes

When Coloradans vote in November — or October, if we return ballots early — we'll weigh in primarily on people and ideas.

But all those yeses and noes will also have real and fast effects on something that's always at the top of mind: Our wallets. Outside of the billions in tax revenue sought to establish the nation's first single-payer health-care system, the multiple proposals on the ballot would add more than $700 million in tax-supported revenue for statewide, countywide and regional taxing districts.

Here’s a look at how the various measures would ultimately slice into Fort Collins residents' spending power, along with what voters would get in return.

When you get your paycheck

The biggest tax measure on the ballot is also the only one that will take your money before you can touch it, via a payroll tax. ColoradoCare — Amendment 69 on the ballot — will be a $25 billion tax collected by the state and from all Colorado taxpayers.

Most work-a-day folks would see a 3.3 percent slice taken from their paychecks to pay for ColoradoCare. In Fort Collins, where the Bureau of Labor Statistics says the average hourly wage is $22.85, ColoradoCare would take about $60 from your biweekly paycheck, or $1,568.42 each year.

The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates the average employee contribution to an employee-sponsored health care plan in Colorado was $1,235 for 2015. That comes out to about $47.50 per paycheck.

ColoradoCare advocates are quick to point out, however, that the proposed single-payer system would nix co-pays for primary and preventative care and do away with deductibles. The plan could also expand to include dental, vision and hearing coverage. Questions linger on some details, such as co-pays for qualifying treatments and prescription drug coverage.

Employers will also be on the hook for a 6.7 percent tax on their payroll. Non-payroll incomes would be levied the full 10 percent tax.

ColoradoCare fight draws $30K in Larimer donations

When you go to the store

Two county-wide sales tax proposals would hit Fort Collins residents when they shop.

The general sales tax in the city is 7.4 percent, with some exemptions. So, a purchase of $100 of applicable goods, such as clothing, would carry a tax $7.40 for people shopping in city limits.

If the mental health and detox/substance abuse facility and services issue passes, add another 25 cents to that total. The scientific and cultural facilities district, which is ballot issue 200, would add another dime, if passed. That means that if both passed, that $100 purchase on applicable goods would carry a total tax of $7.75.

The two tax measures are expected to draw about $16.5 million and $6.65 million per year, respectively. The former would lead to the creation of a behavioral health facility to serve Larimer County residents, an estimated 44,300 of whom have some form of mental illness. An estimated 31,000 have a substance-abuse disorder. The latter would be distributed to area not-for-profits that focus on the production, preservation and/or exhibition of natural history, the sciences or visual or performing arts or cultural history. Advocates say that dedicated funding stream would create a boon for Fort Collins culture.

Of course, Fort Collins shoppers don’t only shop in Fort Collins. Maybe they head to Timnath for its Costco. Voters in that town of about 3,000 people will decide if they should raise the town's general retail sales tax from 3 percent to 4.35 percent and the food tax from 2.25 percent to 3.6 percent.

That would raise the total retail sales tax paid in Timnath town limits past that of Fort Collins to 7.9 percent, or $7.90 on a $100 purchase. The proposed food tax is also higher than that of Fort Collins, which is 2.25 percent.

If you own a house

The good news: property owners in Fort Collins probably won’t see their property tax rate increase as a result of this election.

The bad news, depending on your perspective: You may still end up paying more than you would otherwise if one initiative passes.

Poudre School District is asking voters to let it gradually raise taxes in the district to $8 million annually and to take on $375 million in debt — with a corresponding tax increase of $34.9 million annually — to build new facilities and maintain general operations. The ballot language does not specify any corresponding mill levy increase, but PSD officials have said paying off existing debts will free up enough in the budget to allow PSD to pay the new override and debts without raising the mill levy in the district.

The mill levy is a key part of the formula to determine the total property taxes a person owes. If the ballot issues were to fail, it's unclear how the PSD levy would change.

Editorial: School bond investment worth its return

If you smoke

Voters statewide will decide on new costs for smokers, as well. A state constitutional amendment would raise the taxes on a pack of cigarettes by $1.75, to a total of $2.59 per pack. That means your pack-a-day smoker would go from paying about $307 per year in taxes to $945.

Other tobacco products would have a 22 percent tax added to the manufacturer’s list price.

In total, the measure would bring in an estimated $315.7 million annually. The money would go to tobacco-related health research, veterans programs, adolescent behavioral health services and more. The cigarette tax would ostensibly generate less revenue if more people quit smoking in the future.

If voters pass everything

The impact of passing all the measures on this year's ballot on an individual's tax burden would depend largely on their situation. How much do they pay for health insurance? How much money do they spend on shopping and groceries? Do they smoke?

If there's such thing as a completely "average" Fort Collins resident, that person would see their tax burden increase by $366.71 per year if each of these measures passed, most of that impact coming from the payroll tax to support ColoradoCare. That "average" person's tax burden would climb to more than $1,000 per year if that person had a pack-a-day smoking habit.

What happens if we pass everything?

Here's a look at how passing every ballot question seeking new tax revenue would impact an average Fort Collins resident's tax burden.

From your paycheck

Average Fort Collins salary: $47,528

Average Colorado employee's health insurance contribution: $1,235

ColoradoCare tax on average Fort Collins employee's salary: $1,568.42

Difference: Additional $333.42 per year

On your purchases

Sales tax on $100 non-food purchase in Fort Collins: $7.40

Behavioral health facility tax on $100 purchase: 25 cents

Science and arts district tax on $100 purchase: 10 cents

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the average U.S. household spent $9,514 on dining out, household furnishings, clothing and entertainment in 2015

Difference: 35 cents per $100 spent, estimated $33.29 per year

On your house

Median Fort Collins home price: $352,950

Property tax on median home: $2,606 (based on assessed value)

Poudre School District $8 million mill levy and $375 million bond issue: Up to $42.9 million annually

Property tax difference: $0 (PSD says retiring debt will allow the district to keep its mill rate flat with issues' passage)

If you smoke

Colorado cigarette tax: 84 cents per pack

Proposed increase: $1.75 per pack

Difference: $638 per year for a pack-a-day smoker

If you work, spend, own and smoke

An "average" person, by these measures, would see their tax burden climb by $366.71. Add a pack-a-day-smoking habit and that amount climbs to $1,004.71.