By Jakob Thorington | Arizona Capitol Times
Maricopa County officials are hoping lawmakers will allow voters to consider extending a nearly 30-year old half-cent sales tax that funds jails next election.
The county’s jail excise tax is similar to the transportation excise tax, which voters just renewed with the passage of Proposition 479, the half-cent sales tax used to fund transportation infrastructure. The jail tax expires in 2027, but the county is unable to put it on the ballot to renew the tax without approval from the Legislature.
Members of the county’s Public Safety Funding Committee recently recommended the Board of Supervisors to pursue a 20-year extension of the tax at its current rate of one-fifth of one cent.
“The Jail Excise Tax brings in about $300 million in revenue per year and has been an effective way of funding our public safety needs as the county grows, at a low burden to the individual taxpayer,” said Supervisor Clint Hickman in a Dec. 16 news release. “I agree with the committee’s recommendation that an extension of the tax, at the current rate, is the best way to make sure we continue to live in a safe community where people can thrive economically.”
