https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/robertrobb/2020/10/09/pro…

Proposition 208 constitutes a huge gamble with Arizona’s economy. It would give the state the 9th highest marginal individual income tax rate in the country.

As a general rule, states with high income tax rates have underperforming economies, measured by growth in employment and personal income.

Arizonans have a business decision to make at the ballot this year. Proposition 208 seeks to nearly double the top income tax bracket. The question each voter must ask is, can Arizona afford to become a high-tax state without severe economic consequences?

As leaders in economics and tax policy, we trust that Arizonans believe us when we say there’s no free lunch. You can’t raise the top marginal tax rate 77.7% without a big economic impact.

If you’re a voter who is interested in raising taxes for K-12 education, surely you’d want to measure the costs against the benefits.

A batter in baseball going 0 for 3 at the plate is the equivalent of a rough day at the office. When a political campaign goes 0 for 3, it’s the equivalent of getting sent down to the minors.

Based on its three TV ads, the pro-Proposition 208 campaign should start packing its bags.

If passed, Proposition 208 would take the state’s top individual income tax rate from 4.5% to 8%, a 77.7% increase.

That’s not some obscure aspect of the initiative buried deep in the text; it’s the initiative’s central provision.

Confounding small business advocates and tax policy experts, Proposition 208 proponents this week trotted out a bizarre claim, saying, “it’s legally impossible for any business to be taxed under Proposition 208,” and “under Proposition 208, small business owners will not pay one cent more in additional taxes.”

(The Center Square) – A 77.7 percent income tax increase on Arizona's highest wage earners "would wreak economic harm upon Arizonans of all income levels in every industry in the state," a new analysis of the proposal by the Goldwater Institute finds.

https://chamberbusinessnews.com/2020/08/17/tax-watchdog-income-tax-incr…

A ballot initiative to raise income taxes on certain taxpayers and small businesses is “poorly conceived” and “will not create a sustainable source of funding that is worth the economic malady it will cause” according to a new analysis by a tax watchdog group.

(The Center Square) – With the Arizona Supreme Court to give the final say on whether the “InvestinEd” ballot initiative will end up on ballots this November, both sides of the argument are reaching out to make their case.

The ballot initiative, if it passes legal muster and prevails at the ballot, would place an additional tax surcharge on taxpayers who make more than $250,000 and funnel that money directly to school districts.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2020/05/01/arizona-cities…

The government wouldn’t dream of raising taxes during the worst pandemic in a century, right?

Perhaps not the state or feds, with all the attention they receive. But some local governments around the state you’re not paying attention to may be considering just that.

Sean McCarthy from the Arizona Tax Research Association joins the podcast to break down some issues related to Arizona school finance. We talk about the funding formula and school choice, as well as emerging trends like declining district enrollment numbers and the rising cost of the state's retirement system.

Declining birth rates and open enrollment in Arizona will place financial and other pressures on public high schools in coming years, according to a recent report conducted by the Arizona Tax Research Association (ATRA).

As student numbers decline and some schools fail to consolidate and adapt, taxpayers could be the ones footing the bill, said Sean McCarthy, senior research analyst for ATRA, which advocates for taxpayers at the local and state level.