Marianne Goodland of Colorado Politics lays out the nuts and bolts of a progressive-led ballot initiative to kill Colorado’s 4.41% flat tax and replace it with a dozen-tier graduated system. At the low end, households making less than $100,000 would see their rate drop to 4.21%, saving a whopping $60 a year. At the top end, millionaires would get hammered with a 9.51% rate, translating into an $18,000 annual hike on $1 million of income. The measure would also jack corporate taxes, with the $2.3 billion haul earmarked for K-12 schools, childcare, healthcare, and homelessness programs.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Colorado’s flat 4.41% tax could be scrapped for a dozen brackets ranging from 4.21% to 9.51%.
- A $30,000 earner? Saves sixty bucks – barely a tank of gas. A $150,000 earner saves about $200 – a Costco run.
- Make $1 million? Your bill goes up $17,800. That’s not “fair share.” That’s progressive Robin Hood cosplay.
- Supporters say the $2.3 billion annual jackpot will fund schools, healthcare, childcare, and homelessness – you know, the same “solutions” that never solve anything.
- Critics warn it makes Colorado uncompetitive. Remember, Wyoming, Texas, and Florida don’t tax income at all. Congratulations, we’re competing with California instead.
My Bottom Line
Colorado’s progressives aren’t peddling “fair share.” They’re running a $2.3 billion shakedown dressed in compassion cosplay. Let’s cut through the glitter.
This scheme hands crumbs to the working class – sixty bucks here, two hundred there – while hammering success like it’s a crime. It punishes growth, investment, and entrepreneurship. It bullseyes the very people who hire, innovate, and build, telling them: “Stop working so hard, we’ll just take more from you.”
And where does it all go? Into the same black hole of bureaucratic programs that have already failed to fix schools, homelessness, or healthcare. The problem isn’t revenue. It’s spending. You don’t cure addiction by giving the addict another hit, but that’s exactly what progressives propose for government.
Colorado’s flat tax is simple, transparent, and fair. This Rube Goldberg mess of brackets is envy-driven class warfare. It spits in TABOR’s face, fuels big government forever, and turns the Centennial State into California with mountains.
Coloradans have a choice: freedom, fairness, and competitiveness – or California Lite. Reject this scam, loudly and decisively.
