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Responsible Budget Puts Arizona on Right Track
Every election, it seems, politicians give lip service to the need for fiscal responsibility and a balanced budget. But once they are in office, they lack the courage and resolve to actually achieve one. It’s always politically more convenient to spend more than...
Club Applauds Ducey, Legislative Leaders on Producing a Balanced Budget
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club (Club) today strongly endorsed the budget deal reached by Governor Doug Ducey, House Speaker David Gowan and Senate President Andy Biggs as a bold step forward towards putting Arizona’s fiscal house in order. “A lot of politicians talk...
Arizona Does Not Need Its Own Taxpayer Subsidized ‘Shark Tank’
One of the most popular programs on television today is also one of the most educational regarding the risky nature of venture capital investing. The show is called Shark Tank, and involves a very simple yet ingenious format where five wealthy investors listen to...
More Taxpayer Money Leaving the Station
The taxpayers of the City of Phoenix – proud owners of a failing hotel, $1.5 billion in deficits over the next two years, and $3 billion in unfunded pension debt – are likely to see their sales tax nearly doubled to pay for $30 billion in transportation projects that...
The spending is “investing” myth
Arizona is in a difficult budget situation. The projected deficit is close to a billion dollars, and revenue and growth projections remain anemic. In response to these financial difficulties, Governor Ducey has proposed a responsible, sound fiscal plan to balance our...
Subsidized Solar Lease Agreements Demand Greater Scrutiny
In Arizona, thanks to a slew of solar incentives and special tax breaks, the solar industry is bigger than ever. More astonishingly, the rooftop solar industry doesn’t even try to hide the fact that their entire business model is dependent on the staggering number of...
Arizona Doesn’t Need a Taxpayer Funded Office for the Movie Industry
The 2015 session of the Arizona Legislature is officially underway. For taxpayer advocates like us, it’s the start of our busy season. Time to get to work supporting good ideas and defeating bad ideas, including – as is often the case – the same bad ideas that we...
Governor Ducey Delivers Bold, Fiscally Responsible Budget
On Friday, Governor Doug Ducey released his budget plan that sends more money to the classroom, protects taxpayers and puts Arizona on the path to economic prosperity. Specifically, Gov. Ducey’s budget implements a hiring freeze, consolidates agencies that often have...
Beer Fight Brewing at Legislature
Four Peaks Brewery is exactly the kind of small business that sustains Arizona’s economy. Over the course of nearly 20 years, the Tempe-based brewery and restaurant has grown from a tiny establishment next to Arizona State University into a flourishing enterprise. It...
Time for Real Accountability of Arizona’s Pension Systems
As most people know, Arizona soon will have a new Governor, a new Attorney General and a new State Treasurer, not to mention several new members of the state Legislature. There’s no doubt that all of them have a lot on their plate as they make the transition from...
Latest Poll Shows Ducey Up 7 Over DuVal, Brnovich Expands Lead over Rotellini
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club today released our latest poll for the general election, focusing on the Governor's and Attorney General Race. The Club’s in depth poll, conducted by the Tarrance Group, shows Doug Ducey maintaining his lead over Democrat Fred DuVal....
Crony Capitalism Biggest Loser in Apple Deal
In what has become as predictable as summer monsoons in Arizona, another company has filed for bankruptcy after being wooed with millions in taxpayer incentives – the second in Arizona in as many years. GT Advanced Technologies, which relocated to the vacant First...