Governor vetoes property tax repeal

By Howard Fischer

Phoenix, AZ – Fulfilling an earlier promise, Governor Janet Napolitano vetoed legislation to permanently repeal the state's property tax. Arizona Public Radio's Howard Fischer reports.

The levy was suspended in 2006 and will return late next year
unless the state acts first. Napolitano said there is no need to
do anything now, what with another legislative session before the
tax returns. And she chided lawmakers for approving this measure
while failing to react to her latest proposal to balance the
budget.

(And that's been a week ago. And we have nothing scheduled. And
to me to send up a tax cut bill when you haven't done that hard
work so that we can get 09 resolved is, as I said earlier, it's
untimely, untenable and unwise.)

But Napolitano balked at whether she would be willing to support
repeal next year -- or ever -- saying that's -- quote -- always a
possibility -- unquote -- as long as lawmakers fund her
priorities.

(My focus and the Legislature's focus ought to be on the 08 and
09 budget. They should be balanced, should protect education,
andnshould protect safety-net services because more and more
people are needing them in this down economy. And it should
invest for the future because Arizona has, in the long term, a
very, very bright future.)

The veto does leave Republican lawmakers with one option: Take
the issue directly to voters in November.

For Arizona Public Radio, this is Howard Fischer.