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Posts Tagged ‘Arizona’


A flat income tax in Arizona?

From East Valley Tribune:

Rep. Steve Court, R-Mesa, who crafted HB 2636, said it is designed so the state takes in just as much as it would under the current system. What that means, he said, is there will be winners — and losers.

One group are those who reduce their taxable income by the amount of interest they pay on their home mortgages. Charitable deductions also will be gone.

But Court’s proposal, in eliminating the personal exemptions and standard deductions, would affect those who have, until now, owed no state taxes at all. Generally speaking, a couple with at least one dependent with a federal adjusted gross income of about $15,000 a year have been able to reduce their state tax liability to zero.

No more. And Court said that is by design, even though the federal poverty level for a family of three is $18,310 a year.

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Rainy Day Funds tough to use in some states

From NewsTribune.com:

While budget deficits threaten to cripple government services across the country, a handful of states with billions of dollars socked away in “rainy day” funds for troubled financial times are discovering they can’t use that money to offset their cuts.

Amid the worst financial crisis facing states in decades, stringent rules governing the use of reserve funds have tied the hands of lawmakers in nearly a dozen states even as they consider raising taxes, slashing health and social services and shuttering education programs.

About three-fourths of states have used rainy day funds in the past three years to alleviate budget cuts, but some have had difficulty accessing the money or have shied away from doing so. They would have to repay it quickly or were worried it would hurt their bond ratings.

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AZ: Lawmakers to Approve Tax Cuts for Businesses

The deal between the Governor and Republicans in Arizona would:

A deal announced Monday between Gov. Jan Brewer and Republican legislative leaders would:

— Cut the corporate income tax rate from just below 6 percent to 4.9 percent, giving Arizona the fifth lowest rate in the nation;

— Allow some multi-state corporations to pay no corporate income taxes at all;

— Alter how businesses are assessed for property tax purposes, potentially reducing their liability by 10 percent;

— Create new state tax credits for firms that create jobs, which pay at least the median wage for the county where located, up to $3,000 per job for three years;

— Permit companies to write off new equipment purchases faster, reducing their state income taxes;

— Increase the amount of equipment that businesses can exempt from being assessed for property tax purposes;

— Create a new $25 million a year “deal closing” fund to help convince firms to move to the state.

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DAGA Backed Group Breaking Law in AZ AGs Race

A group funded by the Democrat Attorneys General Association is running misleading attack ads in Arizona.

From the Arizona Guardian:

A mysterious political group appears to be paying big money for a hard-hitting attack ad that started airing this week against Tom Horne, the GOP candidate for state attorney general.

A group calling itself the Committee For Justice and Fairness paid for a 30-second commercial accusing Horne of rehiring a teacher who was caught looking at child pornography on school time.

The commercial, which is running on local and cable television stations, also says Horne opposed tougher penalties for rape when he was a state lawmaker.

Little is known about the organization since it hasn’t registered with the Secretary of State’s Office as required by law. An Internet search turns up nothing.

Horne denied the accusations and claims the group is a front for the partisan Democratic Attorneys General Association.

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AZ: Republican Still Leading AG Race

From phoenix.bizjournals.com:

A new poll of likely voters shows Republican Tom Horne with a 40 percent to 36 percent lead over Democrat Felecia Rotellini in the race for Arizona Attorney General.

Twenty-four percent are undecided in the poll conducted by Behavior Research Center in Phoenix. The BRC poll shows the race tied at 34 percent each when all voters are taken into account. BRC questioned 555 state voters between Oct. 1 and 10.

Horne also has been ahead in previous polls.

Horne’s campaign centers on enforcing Senate Bill 1070’s immigration law, while Rotellini has emphasized going after corporate fraud especially on mortgages.

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Arizona: GOP AG Candidate up 8

From azcentral.com:

As Felecia Rotellini was rounding up Republicans to show bipartisan support for her campaign for attorney general, Tom Horne was releasing a poll that shows him up eight points over his Democratic rival.

The poll, done by Moore Information, indicates that 45 percent of those polled support him, 37 percent back Rotellini and the remaining 18 percent is either undecided or could not back either. The cross tabs showed that Rotellini got the support of only 11 percent of Republicans, suggesting that the Republicans for Rotellini effort may have some work to do.

The poll contacted 500 likely voters statewide, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. It was conducted Sept. 1-4 — before Horne and Rotellini had their televised debate and before the fur started flying in their race.

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Arizona Secretary of State Candidate Touts Experience

From The Arizona Republic:

Secretary of State Ken Bennett on Wednesday promoted his decades of experience in government as evidence that he is qualified to serve as governor if the need comes for him to replace Arizona’s top official.

He said challenger Chris Deschene’s political experience, which includes one term as a state House representative, pales in comparison. Bennett has served as a Prescott councilman and president of the state Senate and was appointed last year to the Secretary of State’s Office by Jan Brewer when she stepped in as governor to replace Janet Napolitano, who took a Cabinet post in Washington, D.C.

In Arizona, the secretary of state steps in if the governor resigns, dies or is removed from office.

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Arizona Republican Tom Horne Leads Democrat in Attorney General Race

From Tom Horne for AG:

Republican Tom Horne has a 45% to 37% lead over Democrat Felecia Rotellini in the Arizona Attorney General race according to a new poll conducted by Moore Information and released today.

The poll was conducted September 1-4 and sampled 500 likely Republican, Democrat and independent voters statewide.

“There is no doubt that voters are responding enthusiastically to my message,” Horne said. “I have pledged to vigorously enforce S.B. 1070 and defend it against the Obama legal assault. I am committed to securing the border and protecting the safety of Arizona citizens. I will join the various other states that are fighting ObamaCare in court, and I will be an Attorney General who will help businesses create jobs. My opponent is locked into the destructive Obama agenda. Rotellini opposes S.B. 1070, has accepted money from unions that boycott Arizona, and she embraces government-mandated health schemes. She is the Obama point person for Arizona, and voters are rejecting her agenda just as they are his.”



Arizona AG Candidates trade jabs

From East Valley Tribune:

The two candidates who want to become the state’s top lawyer traded jabs Tuesday over who has more experience.

Republican Tom Horne launched the attack by charging that Felecia Rotellini “has never tried a case in her entire life.” He said the Democratic contender for state attorney general is misleading voters by claiming to be an experienced trial attorney.

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Heated Debate in Arizona AG Race

From azdailysun.com:

Rotellini said Mortgages Limited was engaged in securities fraud before the firm went bankrupt, which was not the purview of the Department of Financial Institutions.

Some of the debate focused on the state’s new immigration law, with the pair sparing over who was more interested in curtailing people coming across the border illegally.

Horne promised to make defending the law the absolute top priority if he is elected, above all else.

“People are really fed up with the federal government not doing its job,” he said. “They neglect it, and then they sue us to stop us from doing something about it.”

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