The recently ended state legislative session didn't bring much conclusion to several high-profile proposals affecting Arizona businesses.


A tax cut they sought isn't going to happen.

There will be no limits on medical-malpractice lawsuits.

And the state is not going to try to set up its own guest-worker program to help firms struggling to find qualified workers.

There were a few small victories, however; notably the decision to extend and expand tax credits for research and development.

The Arizona Legislature should not welch on its deal to return some of the sales taxes we pay in Tucson to support Downtown redevelopment.


Members of the Senate Finance Committee were sometimes sarcastic with Downtown redevelopment supporters during a hearing Wednesday in Phoenix. They also expressed disappointment with a presentation by Rio Nuevo Director Greg Shelko.

PHOENIX - Arizona House Republican leaders sharpened their budget-balancing proposal Monday, saying provisions to get hundreds of millions of dollars from municipalities and school districts now include sweeteners and, for the cities and towns, would be voluntary.


The Republican leaders formally introduced 10 bills to implement their version of the proposal - Senate GOP leaders have a similar one - and scheduled a Tuesday meeting for the House Appropriations Committee to act on it.

Taxpayers in Tucson, courtesy of Proposition 200, are being asked to amend the city Charter to strip the current and future City Councils of their authority to establish budgets for the police and fire departments. The Arizona Tax Research Association strongly urges Tucson taxpayers to reject this effort at ballot-box budgeting.

It was another rough week for supporters of the Public Safety First Initiative, aka Proposition 200, which would require the city of Tucson to hire at least 333 cops and 70 firefighters over the next five years.


First, in a long-rumored power play, Tucson Electric Power formally announced opposition to Prop 200.


TEP has now joined with the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the Metropolitan Pima Alliance, the Arizona Multihousing Association and Cox Cable as business organizations opposed to the Public Safety First Initiative.

Everybody knows there's no avoiding taxes


But few people know - or seem to care - what happens to the taxes collected by their home cities so long as needed services are provided.

Even fewer can honestly say if they are getting good value for the money they hand over every month in property taxes, service fees and the "invisible" tax contributions they make every time they go shopping.

The company that Mayor Dewey Bartlett wants to hire to collect Tulsa's city sales tax seems to receive generally good marks in at least two states where it does business, although some taxpayers complain that it is too aggressive and others don't like the idea of a private company having access to businesses' financial records.


"Nothing we've seen looked like they've done anything wrong or unprofessional in any way," said Jeff Kros, legislative director of the Arizona League of Cities and Towns, about Revenue Discovery Systems of Birmingham, Ala.

One thing is clear: the picture today would look worse if last summer's bankruptcy had sent the Coyotes to Canada.


Glendale could have lost out on $12 million in back fees owed by the team and eventually paid by the National Hockey League if the Coyotes had moved. The city's debt payments on Jobing.com Arena wouldn't have stopped. Service cuts to residents might have been deeper; city layoffs could have escalated.

Not long ago, a government job meant almost rock-solid job security, generous benefits, and spending an entire career with one agency, city or school district.


In the post-recession job market, that's not guaranteed. In Arizona, government workers at almost every level, from park rangers to office workers to street-repair crews, face a different reality.

The La Paz County Supervisors met July 26 with representatives from the Arizona Tax Research Association to discuss the county’s financial state and the fiscal year 2011-12 budget. ATRA Vice President Jennifer Stielow and tax analyst Ben Nowicki had questions regarding some aspects of the budget.