Vote "NO" for Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's Sales Tax Increase

PHOENIX (By Jon Garrido, The Jon Garrido Network) April 25, 2010 ―  Voting "YES" for the proposed sales tax condones the Republican controlled Arizona legislature bludgeoning programs and services for low and moderate income Arizonans.

Voting "YES" would allow Arizona to use the new sales tax revenue to replenish program and services funds for low and moderate income Arizonans cut by the Republican controlled Arizona legislature. This essentially lets the Arizona Republican controlled legislature off the hook for bludgeoning Arizona's programs and services for low and moderate income persons.

Voting "NO" forces the Arizona legislature to look for new revenue sources. The budgets for programs and services have already been cut to the bone with education and health funding bludgeoned to zero. There is nothing left to cut!

A "NO" vote sends a message the present "sacred cows" of the Republicans namely business priorities should become a significant annual revenue source by ending tax exceptions.

To lay out a blueprint for an economic development strategy requires a firm foundation to build on; unfortunately, Arizona has no foundation to build on. We must first get our house in order and this means starting with the State of Arizona governor and state legislature.

For the past 40 years, Republicans have controlled the Arizona legislature and the Republican strategy has been to reduce government by cutting taxes but this strategy has proven to be a dismal failure.

If the premise of budget cuts are inversely proportional to the creation of economic growth leading to new jobs, just the opposite has happened having budget cuts contributing to the loss of economic growth with fewer jobs. The result of budget cuts has had its most adverse impact devastating programs for all Arizonans with a magnified severe blow to low and moderate income Arizonans using health and education programs.

The "quality of life" in Arizona is the index measurement and the "quality of life" in Arizona has steadily diminished throughout the state. To reverse this trend, Arizona urgently needs to take a hard look at increasing revenue. Restoring the public trust demands more than budget cuts. The long term strategy requires immediate action but Arizonans can not wait for 5, 10, 15, or 20 years to implement economic growth.

With Boycott Arizona being implemented by Hispanic News, Arizona's economy will be severely curtained forcing Arizona to look for revenue sources leaving the Arizona Republican controlled legislature to look at the most immediate source of revenue — tax exceptions.

There are more than a $1 Billion in tax exceptions in the state budget. Goldwater Libertarians and other Republicans are not keen on this idea, but if these tax exceptions to businesses have not been the answer to promote economic growth — concluding by reasonable assumption — the proof is in the pudding, they do not work!

Arizona needs revenue this year to begin to achieve enhanced quality of life by funding the multitude of programs and services that tragically have been significantly diminished and in many cases deleted.

The variance between revenue and costs has never been greater. What is needed is the state budget with countless tax exceptions that provide an unfair free ride for many needs to come to an end.

The time is long over due to increase revenue and the immediate way is to eliminate tax exceptions not to impose a new sales tax. A sales tax may be justified if these were normal times but this is not a normal time for Arizona.

Arizonans should vote "NO" for any sales tax increase and the Arizona tax credit deduction for private schools to teach Arizona's white children in lieu of the public schools where public education funds have been bludgeoned has to be rescinded.

To bypass public funding where Hispanic students attend, the white Arizona Republican majority party of the Arizona Legislature devised a scheme to divert public school funds to private schools by use of Arizona tax credits that penalizes public schools where low and moderate income students attend.