Dylan Roberts – Increasing the Cost of Living on the Western Slope and in rural Colorado

August 8, 2022 – Dylan Roberts, the representative for House District 26 and candidate for Senate District 8, believes he’s a champion for small businesses and the agriculture industry on the Western Slope.

He’s not, he’s the opposite.

As a house legislator, Roberts signed SB21-260 Sustainability of the Transportation System bill that increases fuel taxes and transfers general fund revenue to raise $5.4 billion over ten years to support electric vehicles and increase “alternative” transportation. In other words, he signed a bill that bypassed the Tax Payer Bill of Rights (TABOR) by changing the name of taxes to fees to avoid a constitutionally mandated public vote on a tax increase. Essentially, Dylan Roberts wants to get every driver out of their affordable, reliable gas-powered vehicle and into an expensive, less reliable electric vehicle. Or, they should take the bus, ride a bike, or walk.

Keep in mind that electric vehicles make up less than 1% of the vehicles on our roads. That’s because they are three times more expensive than traditional vehicles because there’s very limited refueling infrastructure to support them. The quixotic quest to mitigate climate change through legislation like SB21-260 will increase the cost of every aspect of Colorado’s economy making small businesses too expensive to operate, livestock too expensive to transport, goods and services too expensive to purchase, and wages too expensive to pay. 

The cost of living on the Western Slope and in rural Colorado is already too high from bad Democrat policies that have exacerbated inflation and bottlenecked much of our supply chain. Colorado voters, small business owners, farmers, and ranchers need to be represented by a leader who will empower them by reducing regulations, fees, and taxes. It’s time to replace liberal, elitist legislators like Dylan Roberts with a leader who represents the free market and the prosperity of ALL Coloradans.