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#195 Graduated Income Tax

Shall state taxes be increased $2.7 billion annually, in order to increase or improve levels of public services, including K-12 public school education, health care, and early child care and education services, by an amendment to the Colorado Constitution and a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes repealing existing law and creating new law to replace the uniform state income tax rate with a graduated income tax structure, and, in connection therewith, amending the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights to eliminate the constitutional requirement for all taxable net income to be taxed at one rate with no added tax on income; establishing various income tax rates based on the amount of taxable income earned by individuals, estates, trusts, and corporations, while maintaining the current 4.4% tax on income from the sale of a principal residence, which will result in the estimated change in income taxes owed by individuals as identified in the following table; and authorizing the state to retain and spend any increased revenue from the new tax structure, as a voter-approved revenue change, to supplement current levels of funding for K-12 public school education, health care, and early child care and education programs?

Initiative 195
Change in Income Taxes Owed by Income Category

Income Categories Current Average
Income Tax Owed
Proposed Average
Income Tax Owed
Proposed Change
in Average Income
Tax Owed if Passed
+ or -
$25,000 or less $59 $50 -$9
$25,001 - $50,000 $751 $632 -$119
$50,001 - $100,000 $1,877 $1,666 -$210
$100,001 - $200,000 $4,126 $3,828 -$298
$200,001 - $500,000 $9,344 $9,019 -$325
$500,001 - $1,000,000 $19,288 $18,963 -$325
$1,000,001 - $2,000,000 $29,432 $34,196 +$4,764
$2,000,001 - $5,000,000 $41,196 $55,110 +$13,914
Income categories use adjusted gross income reported to the federal Internal Revenue Service.

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