Colorado Amendment 87 Narrowly Leads on Income Tax

The ballot measure would replace Colorado's flat 4.4% income tax with graduated rates, with some upper incomes facing rates above 8%.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Taxes

Colorado Amendment 87 Narrowly Leads on Income Tax

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Should Colorado replace its flat income tax with a graduated tax system?

Colorado Amendment 87 held a narrow lead of around 0.4% as of late Wednesday afternoon, with outstanding ballots including those from rural areas still to be counted. The measure proposes replacing the state's flat 4.4% income tax with a graduated tax system.

Why it matters

The measure would change how Colorado taxes personal income, moving from a single flat rate to graduated brackets. Proposition NN, approved alongside it, raises the state's revenue spending limit under the 1992 TABOR amendment for K-12 education.

Colorado's current flat income tax rate is 4.4%, and Amendment 87 would let some upper incomes face rates above 8%. The measure held a lead of around 0.4% late Wednesday afternoon, with rural ballots still outstanding.

The players

Colorado Chamber of Commerce

A business advocacy organization that opposed Amendment 87.

Phil Weiser

Colorado's governor-elect, who came out against Amendment 87 days before the election.

The details

Amendment 87 would replace the flat 4.4% income tax with a graduated tax structure. Proposition NN increases the amount of tax revenue the state can spend under the 1992 TABOR amendment and directs added funds to K-12 education expenses.

1992: TABOR amendment adopted, governing state revenue spending.
November 4, 2026: Ballot measures voted on; counting continued into Wednesday.

Market Dynamics

Proposition NN raises the revenue cap set by the 1992 TABOR amendment, adjusting a constraint that has governed Colorado state spending for more than three decades. Amendment 87 would instead change the structure of the income tax itself, moving away from the flat rate Colorado has used.

If approved, Amendment 87 would change how personal income is taxed in Colorado, with rates varying by income level rather than a single 4.4% rate. Taxpayers would need to review how a graduated structure affects their own liability.

The takeaway

Ballot measures on taxes can reshape both how income is taxed and how much revenue the state may spend, so their final counts matter. Readers should watch for certified results once all ballots are tallied.