Proposition 100 goes by the name “Protect Our Homes.” But what it really would do is further disable a Legislature that already operates under several handicaps.
It should be rejected.
The proposition sounds innocent: It would prohibit any government from charging any new tax on the sale or transfer of property. There are no such taxes now, and this would forever preclude them.
We don’t necessarily believe such taxes should be imposed. But we also do not believe the state constitution should be amended to permanently ban consideration of any single revenue source.
One of the reasons the recession has been so severe in Arizona is the state’s over-reliance on sales taxes. It would be fiscally prudent to reduce the sales tax and increase other taxes by an equal amount.
But that won’t happen. The state constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to increase any tax – a political impossibility.
We can’t anticipate future situations. Leave options open. The Tucson Citizen urges a “no” vote on Prop. 100.