Brewer, league compromise on sales tax reform, but still no deal
Gov. Jan Brewer made a major concession to her transaction privilege tax reform bill that eliminates the most contentious provision, but that wasn’t enough to get the League of Arizona Cities and Towns on board.
Fixes for consolidated elections stall, leaving cities in dark about when to hold elections
When voters in Tucson and Phoenix went to the polls to elect their mayors in 2011, voters elected them for four years. But a bill passed last year by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer may extend the mayors’ time in office by a year. Or it may shorten their terms by a year. Nobody is sure which one it will be.
Tax simplification should not hurt cities
The East Valley Partnership recognizes the need to streamline and improve our state’s tax system. That is why we support the major tenets of Gov. Jan Brewer’s plan to reform Arizona’s Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) that is currently burdensome for businesses and puts local merchants at a disadvantage to out-of-state Internet retailers.
Brewer sales tax overhaul moving in Senate
Gov. Jan Brewer's proposed overhaul of the state's complex sales tax collection system is moving forward in the Senate, even as negotiations continue to change it to allay fears from cities and towns and some lawmakers express concern it is too sweeping to be accomplished in one session.
Sales tax reform struggles, but supporters urge action this year
Gov. Jan Brewer and some Arizona lawmakers are determined to pass her plan to simplify the state’s tax code this year, but municipalities are just as determined to delay at least one portion of the governor’s proposal that they argue could do irreparable harm to their finances.
Mayors unveil own sales tax simplification plan
Mayors of Arizona cities offered an alternative plan to simplify the state’s sales tax code today, hours before a Senate panel began tackling key provisions of Gov. Jan Brewer’s proposal.
Print v. online: Public notice bill sparks debate
A bill to remove the requirement that cities and counties publish public notices in a newspaper – and instead allow them to publish the notice only on the municipality’s website – was voted down in the House on Wednesday. But the battle over is far from over.
Time to come to agreement on TPT reform
One of the most controversial bills in this year’s legislative session is HB2657, TPT reform. The TPT (Transaction Privilege Tax) is Arizona’s sales tax program, and it has been more than 80 years in the making. Last year, Gov. Jan Brewer appointed a task force to examine ways to make the system simpler for businesses to comply with.
Brewer tax reform bill advances, but Kavanagh threatens to block in Approps
The unanimous vote that Gov. Jan Brewer’s sales tax reform bill received in the House Ways and Means Committee is far from a sign of smooth sailing ahead.
Brewer unveils sales tax bill
Gov. Jan Brewer today announced her plans for simplifying Arizona’s complicated sales tax system, which followed recommendations from a task force on eliminating the multiple jurisdictions and layers of bureaucracy that businesses face in paying transaction privilege taxes.
Inspiration for new laws often comes from personal experiences
Personal problems, problems from constituents and even problems that admittedly don’t exist are sometimes the basis for bills Arizona lawmakers introduce.
The new frontier of union busting
A state representative has a plan to force local public entities to vote on what the Legislature couldn’t last year: whether to stop the automatic deductions from public employees’ paychecks for union dues.