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Colorado Votes for More Spending and Higher Taxes
Colorado voters appear to have backed measures that would allow higher state taxes and spending, weakening two long-standing limits on government growth. The changes matter because the state’s flat income tax and Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) have constrained tax increases and spending, while sending excess revenue back to taxpayers.
Amendment 87 would replace the 4.4 per cent flat income tax with six rates, from 3.7 to 8.4 per cent, and supporters estimate it could raise $2 billion in 2027–28, mainly from people earning more than $500,000. Proposition NN would raise the TABOR cap by $4.6 billion in its first year, allowing the state to retain revenue otherwise due for refunds; some would reimburse local property-tax breaks, while much of the rest would fund education and children’s programmes. The article says the education allocation would rise by at least 2 per cent annually, while after a decade lawmakers could direct the children’s-programme share elsewhere.
In short
- Colorado voters backed changes enabling more tax revenue and spending.
- Amendment 87 could raise $2 billion in 2027–28.
- Proposition NN would lift the TABOR cap by $4.6 billion initially.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters can argue that a more progressive income tax asks more of people with the greatest ability to pay and raises funds for education and children’s programmes. They may see the TABOR increase as a way to meet public needs and support local property-tax relief without relying on revenue limits that force refunds even when the state has priorities to fund.
The case against
Opponents can argue that the flat tax and TABOR protect taxpayers from rising burdens and restrain government growth, so weakening them risks making higher taxes and spending easier to sustain. They may also question whether earmarking revenue now offers lasting accountability, since lawmakers could redirect the children’s-programme share after a decade.