BRW March Lunch
Nash Herman, Independence Institute
Is Colorado Going in the Right Directions?
Our March speaker, Nash Herman, may be able to answer that question for us . Nash is a policy analyst at Independence Institute. He focuses on fiscal policy and government growth in Colorado. and monitors the joint budget committee, state budget writers and all department budgets in the Colorado state government.
In 2026 Colorado voters will most likely be voting on a tax initiative designed to change the state’s tax structure, replacing the current flat income tax rate with a graduated (or some may say “progressive”) income tax system. Colorado’s current flat tax rate is 4.4 percent.
TABOR (Tax Payer Bill of Rights), a Colorado Constitutional amendment approved in 1992 limits the amount of revenue state and local governments can retain and spend. TABOR requires voter approval for tax increases, limits revenue growth and requires excess revenue over theTABOR limit be refunded to taxpayers.
Under the proposed progressive rate system, the lowest earners pay rates as low as 4.2 percent and as high as 9.2 percent for higher earners. A projected revenue increase of $3.6 billion has been estimated.
Nash can explain the consequences of these tax policy changes for Colorado taxpayers and government expenditures.
Nash is a sixth-generation Colorado native. He has a bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Political Science and a master’s degree in Global Economic Affairs from the University of Denver.
He has participated in Colorado fiscal policy discussions, including TABOR and has made public appearances on the Free State Colorado and Devil’s Advocate (Jon Caldara) podcasts, and written several articles for the Colorado Springs Gazette and Complete Colorado.
In his spare time Nash plays soccer, enjoys reading and spending time with friends and family.
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