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Some say ‘incentives,’ others call them ‘bribes’
Like many public-private partnerships, the Arizona Commerce Authority will be responsible not only for attracting new businesses, but also for doling out incentives. Others say the incentives many states use to lure new companies ignore the needs of businesses already in the state, especially small businesses, while paying their competition to move in next door.
Fresh out of budget solutions, lawmakers warm up to trickery
Weary of scrounging for solutions to a relentless financial mess, some Arizona lawmakers have changed from criticizing budget gimmicks to shrugging and accepting probably the most blatant one of all.
Capitol Quotes, Dec. 17, 2010
“We can’t just give the Legislature the finger and ignore them. They raised some legitimate concerns, although antagonistically.” — Mick Rusing, a member of the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments, on having to convene again after Republican legislative leaders complained about the slate of nominees sent to them.
GOP tax plan good for business, bad for homeowners
Republican lawmakers and the governor are moving ahead with a tax-reduction plan they say would enable Arizona to attract more businesses and jobs to the state, even though the likely result would be a heavier tax burden for homeowners.
Arizona’s debt has grown $4B since recession began
Most state lawmakers insist they had no other choice than to borrow billions of dollars to keep Arizona government running during the past few years. The reality, however, is that they had a couple of options – they just didn’t like them.
State debt: Arizona’s money pit
The state has borrowed more than $2 billion during the past four fiscal years, boosting its total debt load to $9.7 billion. At least one-third of the state’s debt must be repaid using money from the same account that lawmakers draw upon to pay for public education, Medicaid programs and other basic government services.
Brewer budget plan a tenuous proposition
Gov. Jan Brewer's budget plan is structured much like a game of Jenga. Pull out one piece, and the entire pile of blocks could come crashing down. The plan, released Jan. 15, would balance the budget using a variety of maneuvers to reduce costs and raise new revenue. But some of the ideas rely on future events that are out of the governor's control.
Wanted: new revenue
Lawmakers will be facing quite the conundrum in 2010 - how to raise more revenue for the cash-strapped state without raising taxes. The Republican-led Legislature stymied attempts by Gov. Jan Brewer to put a sales tax increase on the ballot, and outright rejected the idea of passing a tax increase itself.
