Chairwoman Kelli Ward | October 13, 2020
Arizona’s economy is just starting to come back from a devastating spring and summer due to the pandemic shutdowns. The last thing we should do is pump the breaks on the recovery by putting in place the largest permanent tax increase in state history.
The proposed $1 billion-per-year tax increase is marketed as going to K-12 education, but how exactly will it be spent? Over the last few years, we have invested a lot in education in Arizona. In three years, enough money was designated to give teachers a 20% raise, and we currently allocate more than 50% of our state’s $11 billion general fund to support K-12 education. That percentage runs even higher if you add in funding for colleges and universities.
