By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via AZ Capitol Times
Business interests trying to quash a vote on higher taxes on the rich sought to convince a judge Wednesday that extent and breadth of the proposed new levy is being purposely understated and misleading.
Challengers funded by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry contend that those gathering signatures to put the initiative on the November ballot were compensated based on how many signatures they collected. That, they argue, violates a state law which specifically forbids paying people on a per-signature basis.
“When is an income tax not an income tax? That is one of the questions that Judge Coury must answer as the proponents of the ballot initiative prefer to use the word ‘surcharge’ to describe a proposed large increase on revenue to be extracted from state’s wealthiest earners. In addition, small businesses are worried how they’ll be affected and no one seems to agree how, if so. Either way, it appears that the final answer will be decided by the Arizona Supreme Court.”
– Rose Law Group Attorney Thomas Galvin
