Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business

Amid uproar over a small proposed teacher pay raise in Gov. Doug Ducey’s budget, Republican lawmakers have consistently pointed to the billions of dollars provided by Prop. 123 as a source for salary increases.

It’s still too early to know exactly what impact House subcommittees will have on the budget process, but the reviews from House members are, thus far, positive.

Gov. Doug Ducey announced several plans aimed at the state’s most vulnerable, from the very poor to people suffering from addiction.

Moderate. Centrist. Pragmatic. Even Democratic. The words being used by some observers to describe Doug Ducey’s third State of the State address.

Financing the state’s freeway needs could mean Arizona motorists will pay higher gasoline taxes, an entirely new sales tax on fuel on top of that and find it’s even more expensive to register their vehicles.

Lawmakers are debating a proposed $9.58 billion budget, which for the first time in years, makes significant increases in a handful of key areas.

Last year, lawmakers approved a state budget in record-breaking time and adjourned the shortest legislative session since 1968. But this year, the process is going much slower.

The state is starting to feel the pinch as corporate income tax revenues tumble down, which budget analysts say is the result of tax cuts being phased in.

After years of incessant cuts, Arizona might be on the verge of shifting the budget discussion following months of robust revenue collections.

Do you owe tax payments to the state? Or did you just “forget” outright to file income tax returns in one – or more – prior years? The state is making it worthwhile to come clean.