Ducey and Republicans in the legislature struck a budget deal this week which proposes a radical flat tax proposal that includes $3 billion in tax cuts that would cost the state nearly $2.6 billion in only three years. Even former GOP Governor Jan Brewer thinks this is nuts. Yet, this is what we have come to expect from the modern Republican Party — policies that intend to destroy government and enrich the wealthy.
The GOP budget plan also seeks to overthrow the will of the voters; attacking Prop 208 funding by instituting a top marginal tax rate of 4.5 percent. This disastrous tax plan asks almost 90% of Arizona taxpayers to pay their own tax dollars to subsidize the tax burden of the wealthiest of Arizonans.
After a decade of austerity budgets, where legislative Republicans decimated education and local transportation funding, and shifted millions of dollars in funding requirements to cities and counties resulting in large property tax increases on homeowners and businesses, Republicans are passing up a real opportunity to meet the needs of our students, senior citizens and most vulnerable. Arizona needs to fund COVID recovery for families and small businesses, and invest in services and programs that benefit all Arizonans. The Republican budget does none of those things. Their budget is simply welfare for the wealthy.
Democrats have offered an alternative budget that would raise teacher pay, make higher education more affordable, extend healthcare to uninsured children, address affordable housing shortages, reform an antiquated unemployment insurance system, invest in critical infrastructure, and protect and uplift the most vulnerable Arizonans. You can see the full detailed Democratic budget proposal here.
Read Superintendent Kathy Hoffman’s statement about the impact of the GOP proposal on Arizona education: