First round of candidates for office sign Tax & Spending Pledge

Several officers and candidates for local government offices have signed our first Local Government Tax and Spending Pledge, committing to hold down spending, property tax levies, sales taxes, and impact fees:

Signer Office Held/Sought

Barney Brenner Pima County Board of Supervisors

Ray Carroll Pima County Board of Supervisors

Ann Day Pima County Board of Supervisors

Rex Griswold Mayor, City of Mesa

Joe Higgins Pima County Board of Supervisors

Paul Srch Maricopa Community College

Matt Tolman Mesa City Council

We are now encouraging all local government officials and candidates to sign our 2009 Local Government Tax and Spending Pledge. If you are an office holder or seeking an office, or if you know someone who is seeking an office in local government, please access the Pledge by going to this URL:

http://www.americansforprosperity.org/includes/filemanager/files/az/tsplocalgovt2009.pdf

Signers will be announced on October 1, 2008, so please get your pledges in soon.

Given forecasts for continued economic distress during the coming year, office holders and candidates wishing to pledge to be a Friend of the Taxpayer in 2009 must commit to:

1) not vote for any FY09-10 budget that is greater than the FY08-09 budget;

2) not vote for any increase in total property tax levies; and,

3) not vote to increase the rates of any sales taxes or impact fees, even by referenda.

To pledge to be an Ally of the Taxpayer in 2009, office holders and candidates must commit to:

1) not vote for any FY09-10 budget more than 2.4% greater than the FY08-09 budget;

2) not vote to raise total property tax levies by more than 2.4 percent; and,

3) not vote to increase the rates of any sales taxes or impact fees, even by referenda.

(If economic growth picks up by February 2009, revisions will be made to the above limits.)

For the purposes of the Pledge, budgets are approved budgets for all funds, as declared in Schedule A of the state-required documents. Property tax levies are total levies, as declared in Schedule B of the state-required documents. For impact fees, the effective rate of current taxation shall not increase, though existing rates may be applied to new developments not previously taxed.

Completed and signed forms should be mailed to AFP Arizona, One East Camelback Road, Suite 550, Phoenix, AZ 85012.

Tom Jenney
Arizona Director
Americans for Prosperity
(Arizona Federation of Taxpayers)
www.aztaxpayers.org
tjenney@afphq.org
(602) 478-0146