By Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services via Arizona Daily Star
A state regulator is taking the first steps to possibly kill a special tax break that was pushed through years ago by a now-indicted member of the Arizona Corporation Commission.
Andy Tobin wants his colleagues on the current commission to tell affected companies to immediately start putting the additional money they’re collecting from customers into an interest-bearing account, according to documents filed late Friday. In the interim, he said regulators will review the policy change enacted at the behest of Gary Pierce.
One of the companies that benefits is Johnson Utilities, the manager of which the federal indictment handed up last month says bribed Pierce to push for the change. Also indicted was Pierce’s wife, who the indictment says got more than $31,000 from George H. Johnson for minimal consulting work, and lobbyist Jim Norton who the indictment says acted as a go-between.
