By Parker Leavitt | The Arizona Republic
After months of negotiating with Gov. Jan Brewer’s office and state lawmakers, Gilbert Mayor John Lewis on May 10 felt optimistic about where a major overhaul of Arizona’s sales-tax structure was headed.
Since January, the state Capitol had become a home away from home for Lewis, who looked to stretch his regional influence by meeting with dozens of legislators and state executives.
Lewis and other town officials had always been enthusiastic about tax simplification, but when state leaders proposed eliminating the construction sales tax, red flags shot up. The provision appeared especially harmful to communities like Gilbert, where homebuilding pours millions of dollars into the town’s coffers each year.
