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

So, while Phoenix may be bigger, it turns out bigger is not always better, especially when talking about jail populations. The real winners will likely be the taxpayers of Tucson and Pima County because their leaders realize less is more.

As a professional medical association of over 4,000 obstetrician/gynecologists and other reproductive health care professionals, the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists urges Arizona lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 1394, and find out the real effects of elective abortion on the women of Arizona.

For the most part, the proponents of “local control” for cities and counties hang their hat on the explanation that the superior government is always the one closer to the people. This argument it is rarely explored, explained, or expounded upon further than a convenient slogan meant to excuse government overreach and conflate the idea of federalism with granting more power to local government.

We finally have a president who knows what it takes for a business to succeed in this country, and who won’t bow to political pressure. Just look at the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act where individuals and businesses are benefiting tremendously.

Reaching a lasting accord on these challenges is not done by one group working the process alone, but by all of us working together to eliminate uncertainty and strengthen our state’s negotiating posture as we prepare to meet the demands of growth.

Did anyone else notice their bill for cloud storage went up last year because a sales tax (TPT) suddenly appeared? As an association who follows state tax law closely, we wondered what law or rule changed. It turns out nothing changed. Bureaucrats at the state simply decided to start taxing the cloud.

But this week, the Legislature proposes to take away at least another $183 million of tax revenue per year without any potential for future economic benefit. Unlike other tax reductions approved by the Legislature in recent years, eliminating the transaction privilege tax, or TPT, on digital goods doesn’t help the state attract one new job or encourage one business to relocate.

It should come as no surprise that the February 23 guest commentary, “Taxpayers shouldn’t feel bubbly about taxing sugary beverages” by Thomas Aiello, was penned by a Washington D.C. lobbyist, not someone with expertise in public health who is watching the state Legislature preemptively push back on local control in a reactive versus proactive manner.

If there’s one thing virtually all voters agree on, it’s that money has too much influence on our politics while people’s voices have too little. HCR 2007 is just another step toward empowering the wealthiest interests to control our state. As it heads to the Senate, legislators should stop and think about whether they want to side with the voters, or join a stealth assault on this popular anti-corruption program.

The president and Secretary Zinke are wrong to direct our government to reduce community input in mining decisions. Our communities need up-to-date mining laws that protect our families, our water and our future.