Our Budget
Arizonans are struggling. So, many people were rightfully alarmed last week to hear Gov Ducey advocate for a $1.2 BILLION PERMANENT TAX CUT in our budget.
That kind of cut, during a pandemic, no less, would hamstring our state for years to come.
Every business person knows that when you want to grow a company, you invest in it. So, like any business – or family, for that matter, our state needs revenue to be sustainable. By permanently cutting taxes, we’re hobbling ourselves from being able to provide the services that citizens expect – and deserve.
If we want to grow Arizona we’re going to have to have revenue for the goods and services we provide that make Arizona a better place for all of us.
Local businesses need help right now to stay afloat until more folks feel safe enough to go out and our economy stabilizes.
Hard-working people who have lost their jobs need a more effective unemployment insurance program that will help them keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. The maximum unemployment check is an inadequate $240 per week, and the current system penalizes people for taking even a low-paying job.
Too many people are facing eviction, and at the very least it’s a public health necessity to help keep them at home, so we must provide funding for rent and mortgages, extend the eviction moratorium for renters, and streamline the application process.
Parents, students, and teachers need to be able to return to schools that are safe and supplied with reliable resources we can count on to prepare the educated workforce we need to drive a strong economy.
These and other challenges deserve our attention and investment. At a time when the rich keep getting richer, and the working people and struggling families keep losing ground, we must make smart investments in our people to make sure we can all get through this crisis and thrive.
Call or email the Governor’s office to tell him Arizona doesn’t need more tax cuts. Like any business or family, we need to invest in our state’s people so that all of us can grow and thrive. (602) 542-4331 or Engage@az.gov.
As David Lujan of the Arizona Center for Economic Progress points out, “The AZ legislature has cut taxes every year but two since 1990, and the impact is clear: a steady decline in state revenue since ’90 and a steady decline in state investments for things like public education, universities, child care and housing supports. Arizona doesn’t need more tax cuts.”
