Michael Bryan

Re-posted from Rum, Romanism and Rebellion

ARIZONA CIVICS TEST

By Tom Prezelski
Re-posted from Rum, Romanism and Rebellion

The worst day of my six years in the legislature was also the last day of my last session: June 27, 2008.

This was the day that the Senate passed SCR 1042, which referred to the ballot a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The change was unnecessary and strictly political. Arizona law already forbade such marriages, so the referendum ultimately had little practical effect other than to poison the public dialogue to advance the agenda of some sick and cynical people.

I could go on for a while about the ugliness that led up to 1042′s passage, like the promises that leadership and rank-and-file Republicans broke with the legislation’s opponents so that the bill could advance, the bizarre glee of the measure’s supporters (this did not include lobbyist Cathi Herrod, who continually bore her permanently sour countenance as she watched from her command post in the gallery), and the overall bigotry behind the whole thing. Suffice it to say, supporters of the bill went through a lot of trouble to get this passed. One could admire the parliamentary skill at play here if only it was about something useful like fixing potholes or building a hospital.

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By Michael Bryan

Recently, Channel 12’s Brahm Resnik did a fantastic job interviewing the GOP Gubernatorial candidates about the latest conservative pet project of eliminating state income taxes for individuals and corporations. Both of the leading candidates in the field, Ducey and Bennett, support the elimination of the state income tax. Jones and Smith have both both been (rightly) skeptical and non-committal on the issue.

What would this scheme mean for Arizona’s finances? Individual and corporate income taxes account for almost 50% percent (~$4.1b) of the state’s general-fund revenue. In other words, nearly half of Arizona’s state tax base would vanish, overwhelmingly into the pockets of the rich. Resnik rightly pointed out that over 40% of the reduction would accrue to the wealthiest 3% of taxpayers making more than 200K per year, while less than 10% would go to those making less the 40K per year, making the tax cut highly regressive.

What would replace that revenue? The candidates are much less clear on that point. Ducey and Bennett claim supply-side sunshine of increased economic activity and improved business climate will replace lost revenue, but that is merely puffery. The bitter truth is that the state would become even more dependent on regressive sales taxes and higher property tax rates, and essential state services will have to be cut dramatically.

Arizona is already one of the ten states with the most regressive tax burden on our lower income citizens (pdf), pushing down the income tax (the only progressive part of the state revenue mix) will make our tax base even more regressive. Already Arizona’s poorest pay taxes at more than twice the rate of our wealthiest. With income inequality soaring over the past 30 years and becoming a key political issue, Arizona’s leading GOP candidates for governor want to make the situation even worse.

This is not solely an Arizona issue, elimination of personal income tax has become a goal for GOP governors around the country, and some states now have pending proposals, and one, Kansas, has  implemented major reductions to their income tax with a goal of eliminating it over time. We’ll look at how that is working out after the jump.

There is video of Resnick’s questioning of Arizona’s GOP candidates about their scheme after the flip (unfortunately it auto-plays, so be prepared).

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