On the November ballot, Colorado voters could face a radical wealth-redistribution scheme that would jack the top income-tax rate from 4.55% to 8.9% on every dollar earned above $1 million, purportedly to raise about $350 million a year for “public services” with no concrete spending plan attached.
Make no mistake—this isn’t “making the rich pay their fair share.” It’s a penalty on prosperity that will punish entrepreneurs, family-business owners, and professionals who reinvest their earnings right here in Colorado. Think you’re safe if you’re just a six-figure earner? The hit starts the moment you cross that seven-digit finish line, and it only gets worse from there. This kind of tax hike doesn’t fund better schools or safer roads—it funds bureaucratic empire building and guarantees a mass exodus of top talent to lower-tax states.
Worried about funding essential services? Fine—let’s have an honest debate on targeted reforms, spending audits, or even modest rate adjustments. But doubling the top rate is a scorched-earth approach that will drive investment to Wyoming and Texas, hollow out our startup scene, and turn Colorado into a cautionary tale.
If you value economic opportunity and want to keep jobs—and paychecks—right here at home, keep a close eye on this nonsense and get ready to campaign against it if it makes the ballot. Because success in Colorado shouldn’t come with a bulls-eye on your back.
