Gould sponsors Tax Revolt measures in state Senate

Arizona Tax Revolt commentary:

I only wanted to add that in addition to Representative Groe, Russell Pearce and Senators Gray C, Harper and Verschoor have also signed onto both bills. (SCR1024 and SCR1026) On behalf of all Arizona Tax Revolt volunteers and contributors I thank Senator Gould and each of these Legislators for recognizing the time, thought and expense that has gone into the Tax Revolt measures. We owe each of them a debt of gratitude for providing another pathway to the ballot, for what is I believe a cure, not just another property tax band-aid.

Marc Goldstone, Chair.
Arizona Tax Revolt

Published: February 2, 2008
The Mohave Valley Daily News
By NEIL YOUNG

Signature drive continues BULLHEAD CITY - The two Arizona Tax Revolt initiatives are being introduced as legislative bills by District 3 State Sen. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu City.

It gives Tax Revolt chairman and Bullhead City resident Marc Goldstone another way to get his measures onto the November ballot. “It's a real honor to have the Legislature consider something that I've worked on for two years,” he said. Goldstone will still continue his petition drive to gather the required 230,000 signatures.

“Ron and I have been working together on this for many months,” Goldstone said. “He was very eager, as was (District 3 State Rep.) Trish Groe (R-Lake Havasu City), to jump on in to help the effort that so many of his constituents are fighting for. The legislature can take ownership of the measures and I'm more than happy for them to do so,” he said.

The two bills that Gould is introducing would roll back valuations and levies. Valuations for all property - residential, commercial and agricultural - would be rolled back to 2003 levels. For anything built after 2003, the property would be appraised for what it would have been worth had it existed in 2003. In either case, 2 percent would be added annually for inflation, bringing it up to the present time.

The levy rollback involves taxing jurisdictions, such as counties, fire and flood control districts. Each jurisdiction will have its levy rolled back to what it was in 2005 or the average of the last four years if it keeps its 2008 levy increase to 2 percent plus growth.

Passing the initiatives would ensure “that inflation in the real estate market will have no bearing on government revenue or our tax bills,” Goldstone said, “and that's really important. Important for us, our kids, grandkids, because they'll enjoy the identical benefit whenever they buy property because they won't be taxed on hugely inflated prices that they may face in 20 years.”

Goldstone emphasized the petition drive will continue full-throttle.

“It's very important that people continue gathering signatures because that's the only sure path to the ballot at this point,” he said. “No one can second-guess what the state legislature's going to do. We want as many pathways to the ballot as we can get and what Ron gave us is a back-up plan, basically.”

Goldstone takes comfort in the fact that property taxes are a hot-button issue and that this is an election year for state legislators “and I consider it to be a litmus test for re-election,” he said. “In fact, when they see us out there collecting signatures, that puts pressure on them to adopt most of what we have, if not all.”

Gould is hedging his bets at this point, saying there are “not many bills that actually run through the legislature without being amended one way or another.

“If we make it all the way through, it'll take all the way until June,” Gould said. “It'll take some work to get it through, if we can get it through. I don't know if I have the votes to actually get it through.”

Gould is a member of the Senate Finance Committee, where the bills will be introduced Monday in a joint session with that committee and the House Ways and Means Committee. Goldstone will be on hand during the hearing to answer questions. “I'm going to let him present the bill,” Gould said. “We will not be taking a vote. This will be for information only.”

“This is Ron's bill,” Goldstone said. “This isn't the Tax Revolt's or Marc Goldstone's bill. Ron liked what we had and offered to put this into discussion at the legislature.”