Colorado Graduated Income Tax Initiative Secures Over 157,000 Signatures for Ballot

Supporters of the Protect Colorado’s Future coalition submitted more than 157,000 signatures to the Colorado Secretary of State, meeting the threshold of 124,238 valid signatures and the 2% per Senate district requirement needed to place Initiative 195 on the November ballot.

Initiative 195 would replace the state’s flat 4.4% income‑tax rate with a graduated structure, raising the rate to 7.4% for income above $500,000 and to 8.4% for income above $1 million while providing a modest reduction for earners below $500,000. A nonpartisan fiscal analysis projects the measure could generate about $2 billion in additional revenue by the 2027‑28 fiscal year.

The campaign relied on roughly 1,000 volunteers for about 70% of the signatures and hired paid petition‑gathering firms for the remainder. Campaign finance filings show the group raised $401,007 and spent $227,152, with major donors including the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, The Bell Policy Center and Great Education Colorado. The Secretary of State’s office will now verify the signatures. Conservative groups have pledged opposition and have filed a competing measure to keep the current flat tax rate.