Editorial: Let the people decide question of sales-tax hike

The Arizona Republic: Let voters decide on a temporary tax increase. Arizona is engulfed in a historic recession. State revenues are plummeting. It is both practical and appropriate to give voters a direct voice in how we solve this crisis. Legislators, back from mid-July conferences, are once again tackling a budget shortfall of $3.4 billion. They should set aside ideology and let Arizonans make the call: Does the state need a booster shot of funding from a 1-cent-per-dollar three-year hike in the salestax? Lawmakers don't need the rest of the budget package in place to pass a ballot measure in this special session. They should act now. The sooner an election is held - a Nov. 3 vote would require legislative action by the end of the month - the sooner the money will start flowing, if Arizonans agree. And signs are they do. A recent survey of likely voters found that 64 percent were likely to approve a ballot measure that would temporarily raise the state sales tax to 6.6 cents on the dollar, from the current 5.6 cents.

To read more, click here.

Comments

There are no comments for this entry.


Please enter the word you see in the image below:


More News