PHOENIX (AP) - The Latest on a Republican-led effort to increase Arizona sales taxes to boost education spending (all times local):
11:55 a.m.
The head of the Arizona Republican Party is working to jump-start a stalled legislative proposal that would ask voters to raise the state sales tax to provide additional funding for schools.
People were interested in these podcasts
State GOP Chair Kelli Ward led a news conference Wednesday with several Republican state lawmakers to boost support for plan in the Legislature. The proposal to boost the current school sales tax from 6/10 of a cent to a penny per dollar would go on the 2020 ballot.
If voters approve, school sales tax revenue would increase from about $700 million a year to more than $1.1 billion. School advocates put an income tax increase on high-earners on last year’s ballot but it was blocked by the state Supreme Court.
___
12:01 a.m.
The Arizona Republican Party’s leader wants lawmakers to back a proposal raising the state sales tax to provide additional funding for schools.
State GOP Chair Kelli Ward plans a news conference Wednesday with several Republican lawmakers to boost support for the stalled plan in the Legislature. The proposal to boost the current school sales tax from 6/10 of a cent to a penny per dollar would go on the 2020 ballot.
If voters approve, school sales tax revenue would increase from about $670 million a year to more than $1.1 billion. The state’s K-12 schools would get 75% of the money, universities 20% and community colleges 5%.
School advocates put an income tax increase on high-earners on last year’s ballot but it was blocked by the state Supreme Court.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.