Taxes, fentanyl, trans youth in sports, hunting, natural gas are among matters voters will have a say on the ballot come November. Along with these issues is the battle of the century regarding the fate of your tax dollars with the elimination of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) and changes to income tax rates What are all the initiatives and how will it impact real estate and your wallet? Look at the chart below, where will Colorado fit into this new paradigm?
Citizen initiatives that have qualified for the ballot propose changes to state law that include:
- Increased criminal penalties for the possession or sale of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
- Life in prison for the human trafficking of a minor.
- A ban on transgender youth from playing on sports teams not aligned with their biological sex.
- A ban on gender-affirming surgery for people younger than 18.
Proposed constitutional changes that have qualified for the ballot include:
- A requirement that law enforcement notify federal immigration officials when an immigrant without proper legal status is charged with a violent crime.
- The establishment of a right to use natural gas for cooking and heating.
- A mandate that all taxes and fees collected for motor vehicles and gas be spent on roads.
- The elimination of Taxpayer Bill of Rights by removing any education spending from the general budget: This initiative would grant the state the ability to spend another 4.6 billion under the guise of education spending and allow state government to grow exponentially with essentially no spending caps for the foreseeable future
- A proposal that would move Colorado to a graduated income tax system in which high earners pay a higher tax rate, marking a big change in tax policy.
- A cap on the state’s income tax rate.
- A requirement that sales taxes on sporting goods be earmarked for conservation efforts.
- A mandate for additional voter verification for mail-in ballots.
- A ban on congressional redistricting outside the typical once-a-decade census cycle.
- The creation of a constitutional right to hunt and fish.
- A requirement that ballot questions be written at an 8th grade reading level.
The underlying theme is more taxes in Colorado
Unfortunately looking at the ballot initiatives the underlying theme is more taxes and sadly there was not a single initiative to cut back on spending whatsoever or even limit further spending. The initiatives do just the opposite by removing any financial constraints to out of control spending. Above are the results of a survey I did a while back where I gauged readers on their opinion of increasing income taxes. The two biggest tax changes are:
- Elimination of Tabor under the guise of education spending: This is earth shattering. Tabor was created to Limit state revenue and spending growth to inflation plus population and also forces the state to get voter approval for tax increases. With the shell game of moving education out of the general budget, they are eliminating 4.6 billion in caps on spending
- Increased taxes on higher earners: This is a bit ironic, a handful of other states are lowering their income taxes and surrounding states like Utah has a flat tax similar to Colorado’s current 4.4% and Wyoming has no income tax.
Businesses and residents are leaving because of Colorado’s spending problem
Colorado used to be known for its picturesque mountains, healthy business climate and quality of life. Unfortunately, the cards have now changed with businesses and residents rushing to the exits as Colorado’s spending problems are now overshadowing quality of life factors. Look at the chart above, with the increased taxes, Colorado will now be in a club of ultra blue like Oregon, California, and Illinois all of which are shedding residents and businesses.
The legislators and many citizens of Colorado have not come to the realization that the root cause of budget issues is spending not revenue. Colorado continues to overspend on just about everything from Medicare, education, homelessness, etc… and is unable and unwilling to live within its means which is what has led to the surge in ballot initiatives to increase revenue.
To solve the self-inflicted crisis, we already have the solution which is Tabor which limits state spending to inflation + population growth. I would recommend we keep the current solution that has been working fine since 92 and focus on our spending problem. I’m hopeful voters will see through the legislative BS and vote no on any spending/tax increases and vote to ensure Tabor stays intact.
Additional Reading/Resources:
- https://www.denverpost.com/2026/08/09/colorado-ballot-measures-election-initiatives/?
- https://coloradohardmoney.com/colorado-joins-tax-increase-line/
- https://coloradohardmoney.com/socialist-wins-in-colorado-impact-on-colorado-real-estate-remote-workers/
- https://coloradohardmoney.com/colorado-snubbed-in-best-places-to-live-report/
- https://coloradohardmoney.com/should-colorado-double-the-income-tax-rate-survey-results/
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Glen Weinberg personally writes these weekly real estate blogs based on his real estate experience as a lender and property owner. He is the owner of Fairview Commercial Lending. Glen has been published as an expert in hard money lending, real estate valuation, financing, and various other real estate topics in Bloomberg, Businessweek ,the Colorado Real Estate Journal, National Association of Realtors Magazine, The Real Deal real estate news, the CO Biz Magazine, The Denver Post, The Scotsman mortgage broker guide, Mortgage Professional America and various other national publications.
Glen resides in Colorado, lends in Colorado, owns property in Colorado, and services loans in Colorado which provides a unique real estate prospective of what is actually happening on the ground both in Denver and throughout Colorado. My goal of this real estate blog is to provide an honest assessment of what I see happening in Colorado real estate and how it will impact real estate owners, buyers, realtors, mortgage professionals, etc…
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