The arguments for and against Proposition 414, the half-cent sales tax that would raise some $800 million in additional revenue for the City of Tucson over 10 years, have been articulately presented by many guest opinion writers on these pages over the past month or so. Now, Tucson voters have their ballots and are beginning to make the decisions that will determine the outcome of the proposed sales-tax increase.
The ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV is torn. We believe passionately in the goals outlined for the spending Prop 414 would engender. But we are not pleased to see Tucson’s sales-tax burden among the highest of the state’s cities. And we believe a disproportionate amount of that $800 million would be extracted from the pockets of the city’s less affluent residents, as well as those from outside the city who depend on Tucson as a place to shop and contribute to the vitality of Tucson as a business destination despite not having a say in this election.
People are also reading…
It’s difficult to argue with a proposal that promises so much: About $52 million a year for public-safety needs, including 66 more firefighters; adding ten 911 operators; and 40 more police officers and 40 community service operators or investigators. The remaining 34% of the money would go toward affordable housing programs and other social programs, including a treatment and recovery center for those addicted to opioids.
The city can — and has — made very cogent arguments for every program it wishes to fund. And all of the money would fund aspirations that are no doubt popular with voters — from better emergency response to more affordable housing to fewer addicted, unhoused people on the streets.
But since all of these programs are so popular and would provide potential solutions to some of the city’s most intractable problems, why hasn’t the city found the wherewithal to institute them already? Particularly since the city’s already-robust sales-tax receipts mean the city is staring down the barrel of a — gasp — budget surplus this year?
Has the city been diligent in examining current expenditures? Isn’t it reasonable to ask a city with a $2.4 billion annual budget to carve out, say, 3.5% to fund these
Admittedly, the Mayor, Council and city manager don’t have the flexibility to reallocate that $2.4 billion at will. Only about $750,000,000 per year is discretionary, and the city already has many mouths to feed, as it were, with that money.
But still. We would feel way better about committing Tucsonans to paying additional taxes for 10 years if we were confident the city is running a tight budget ship.
Before voting to raise Tucson’s sales tax to a whopping 9.2%, we’ll wait for the city to provide the proof that they really can’t get this money out of tighter stewardship of the current budget.
We believe that approach is fairer to low-income Tucsonans, in particular, who pay just as much sales tax per dollar spent as do the affluent.
The argument has been made that with Elon Musk and Doge laying waste to the federal budget, and a parsimonious Republican-dominated Legislature now in session, Tucson will never get this needed money from state or federal sources, and that might be true. But let’s wait and see how the federal government rototilling works out, and let’s ask the City of Tucson to make a more convincing case that it has to go back and ask more from taxpayers, particularly the poor.
The ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV favors a no vote on Proposition 414.
Follow these steps to easily submit a letter to the editor or guest opinion to the ÃÛÌÒÓ°ÏñAV.
