Rep. David Cook speaking with supporters of Donald Trump at a campaign rally at the Phoenix Convention Center in 2016. /Photo by Gage Skidmore / Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0
By Jeremy Duda | Arizona Mirror
House Republicans’ effort to force through a budget fell short again as GOP Rep. David Cook continued his opposition over a massive income tax cut package.
GOP leadership scheduled a vote for Monday on the budget and a slew of amendments intended to shore up support among a handful of holdouts, essentially daring Republicans to vote against it. Among the changes was an adjustment to the formula used to distribute state income tax revenue to cities and towns, which would partially offset the municipal revenue loss anticipated from the income tax cuts negotiated by House leadership and Gov. Doug Ducey.
The change, however, wasn’t enough to win over Cook, who has argued that the small cities in his largely rural district can’t afford the revenue losses they’ll incur from the tax cut. Arizona cities are barred from enacting local income taxes, so the state instead shares a portion of its income taxes. The League of Arizona Cities and Towns estimates that the proposed income tax cuts will reduce the amount sent to cities by 31%, and will result in cuts to city services and public safety.
