Monday, November 23, 2009

AZ State Senator Verschoor's Says No To Tax Increase

Az. State Senator Thayer Verschoor District 22
SAYS NO TO TAX INCREASES
This morning is the second time in recent months that I have been personally attacked by Senate President Bob Burns for stopping TAX INCREASES to my fellow Arizonans.

SB1003 was written with enacting language to give unchecked authority for unelected appointees of the governor to raise taxes in the form of fees across a broad spectrum of our everyday lives.

It has never been good policy to give the governor and her appointees this absolute unchecked authority. Our Constitution is clear that taxing and appropriation authority rests solely with the legislature. SB1003 would not even have given the legislature minimal oversight over the increases OR the use of the funds raised.

I have made my position known for many weeks IN WRITING to the Senate leadership that I would not support any legislation that ceded this constitutional authority to the governor and her appointees. For example, if the governor wants to give 1 million dollars to his /her favorite cause, all he /she would have to do is raise the price of a duplicate driver's license by "only" one dollar. The legislature could do little more than complain about it.

It is important to emphasize that once this authority is granted, it would be nearly impossible to return the authority to its proper place. All the Governor would have to do is veto the legislation.

Senate leadership complains about the Governor having authority to appropriate twenty BILLION DOLLARS in federal funds that come to the state without any legislative over sight and they complain about the abuse of Executive orders. Now, they have decided through SB1003 to expand the power of the Governor to raise and distribute funds without approval or oversight of the legislature. Their actions beg the question whether they have the will to either pass the increases themselves or cut the spending to deal with this budget deficit.

Finally, President Burns knows that SB1003 skirts around the intent of Proposition 108 which was passed by the voters. He knows that Prop 108 requires the legislature to get 2/3rd of the vote in both houses of the legislature to increase taxes and fees.

I find it disheartening that the President feels the need to attack me personally by misrepresenting the facts and timetables of what happened on this occasion.
Please call (602) 926-5999 or email your Senator and Representatives. Ask them to Vote NO on SB1003 that would give fee (tax) setting authority to the governor and his/her appointed, unelected agency heads."

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