Members of a panel tasked with studying Arizona’s personal income tax system said that while flattening or doing away with the income tax may be a popular talking point, the state’s current system is reasonably fair and may not need a major overhaul.

The iArizona Committee is headed by Mesa Mayor Scott Smith and backed by a broad coalition of local politicians, construction contractors and business interests. Their ultimate goal is to boost Arizona’s economy and status as a transportation hub connecting Los Angeles, Dallas and Mexico, as well as linking Arizona’s manufacturing and economic hubs to one another.

A legislative committee charged with studying the amount of government-owned and privately held land in Arizona is close to having enough data to issue a report, but has no money to fund the effort.

Voters rallied behind a proposal that is meant to check wild swings in property tax bills, the initial count by the Secretary of State’s Office shows.

Gov. Jan Brewer has signed a bill to eliminate a requirement that homeowners submit an affidavit to receive a property tax rebate.

Arizona certainly needs property tax reform.  We have the most complicated and complex property tax system in the nation, one that produces unpredictable and inexplicable property tax bills for homeowners and businesses. With a “share of the pie” system driven not by what your property is worth, but rather how much money the taxing districts want to spend, you are always one tax bill away from an unaffordable property tax problem.

An influential tax policy group will seek to put a measure on the ballot to limit growth in property values.

The Arizona Tax Research Association wants taxable property values to grow by no more than 5 percent each year.

Businesses planning on purchasing new machinery in 2013 or later may get some tax relief under a referendum at the state Legislature. HCR 2009, sponsored by Rep. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, and developed by the Arizona chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses would exempt the first $2.4 million of new equipment or machinery purchased after 2013 from the business personal property tax. Currently, the exemption is $68,079.

Gov. Jan Brewer is looking to build on last year’s tax cuts with a handful of changes aimed at fixing “problem areas” in the state’s tax code.

Michael Hunter, Brewer’s lobbyist, outlined the changes the governor wants to make at an Arizona Commerce Authority Board meeting on Wednesday.

Building on last year's big "competitiveness" package of tax cuts for businesses, Republican Gov. Jan Brewer is offering a new, smaller package of proposed changes that she says will address so-called "problem areas."