PHOENIX, ARIZONA – Yesterday, the Arizona Senate passed SB 1013, which protects hardworking taxpayers in counties, cities, and towns from those jurisdictions raising taxes and fees that a supermajority of the relevant local officials did not approve. The proposal was sponsored by Senate President Warren Petersen.

“For over three decades, Arizona voters and their elected officials in the state legislature have expressed their strong preference to keep taxes and fees as low as possible,” said Greg Blackie, the Director of Policy for the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. “With Proposition 108 and Proposition 132, voters have time and again voted to prevent the state and themselves from raising taxes or fees without a supermajority in support. Despite this, many counties, cities, and towns continue to extract taxes and fees from citizens through edicts by faceless bureaucrats. Thankfully, legislators realize the importance of protecting the financial interests of the men, women, and children they represent by applying to the same standard to all jurisdictions.”

Despite counties, cities and towns protesting these proposals, complaining that the legislature is cutting local funding, these jurisdictions are flush with increasing financial revenues. Just this past year, cities alone have benefited from $315 million of new revenue from the collection of online sales tax.

In 1992, Arizona voters passed Proposition 108 to prevent the legislature from increasing taxes without a two-thirds majority.

In 2022, Arizona voters passed Proposition 132 to require a sixty percent threshold on voter initiatives to approve any tax increase on the ballot.

There is also a referral – SCR 1008 – moving through the Arizona Legislature at this time. SCR 1008 sends the policy of SB 1013 to Arizona voters for an up-or-down vote in the November 2026 General Election in the event that Governor Hobbs vetoes a bill sent to her Office. This ballot measure will be considered by the Senate Government Committee this week.

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