By a 2 to 1 margin, Arizona voters approved a one cent increase in the state sales tax to save the state’s education, public safety, and human and health services systems. Two-thirds of the anticipated $900 million to be raised by the tax will go to primary and secondary education. The sales tax was approved by voters in every county in the state.
The vote in favor of the tax increase by such a wide margin suggests Arizonans are not buying the anti-government and anti-tax extremism of Tea Party and allied Republican political leaders.
Besides the state’s education system, Governor Jan Brewer was a big winner with the tax approval.
Brewer, who bucked her own party’s anti-tax goals, demonstrated that the courage of leadership in the face of partisan opposition plays well with Arizona’s voters. Whether she will survive her party’s primary election in August remains to be seen. Her primary opponents all opposed the sales tax hike.
Arizona is not easily defined by the public rhetoric on many issues. To read the daily news one gets the impression the state is full of rabid anti-immigrant, anti-tax and small government advocates. The election result suggests otherwise.
Especially interesting was a second ballot measure down in Santa Cruz County to approve a new property tax to fund that county’s junior college costs. That measure also passed 2 to 1 in a county deeply hurt by the recession.
The sales tax increase passed even in Republican strongholds like Tubac.
