NEWS RELEASE
January 19, 2006

Taxpayer Group: Governor's $10 Billion Budget is "Outrageous"

PHOENIX-The Arizona Federation of Taxpayers today denounced the proposed $10.1 billion budget released this week by Gov. Janet Napolitano. Using Joint Legislative Budget Committee figures, the Governor's proposed General Fund budget would be an increase of 19 percent over last year's spending, or 15 percent, if Prop. 301 education spending is included in the baseline. "Either way, it's outrageous," said AFT executive director Tom Jenney. "How many taxpayers got a 15 or 19 percent raise last year? The average taxpayer certainly did not."

By comparison, the JLBC predicts that personal income growth in the state will be between seven and eight percent next year. "The Governor is proposing that the General Fund grow more than twice as fast as taxpayer income," Jenney said. AFT argues that a generous standard for government growth is to allow government to grow at the same rate as population plus inflation. 

The combined growth of population and inflation in Arizona is forecast to be five percent next year, which would allow the Arizona General Fund to grow from $8.8 billion to $9.2 billion, including Prop. 301 spending. "If the Governor and Legislature were to get serious about eliminating wasteful programs and achieving efficiencies, the final budget numbers could be much lower," Jenney said. 

AFT chairman Chad Kirkpatrick said that the Governor's proposed budget reinforces the need for significant tax cuts. "If we don't take this year's $850 million surplus off the table and give it back to the people who earned it," Kirkpatrick said, "the Big Spenders are going to raid it."

AFT also congratulated the members of the Legislature who have signed on as sponsors of the Taxpayer Appreciation and Investment Act of 2006, which would reduce personal and corporate income tax liabilities by ten percent and save taxpayers over $400 million. The sponsors of the bill are Representatives Laura Knaperek, John Allen, Mark Anderson, Ray Barnes, Andy Biggs, Tom Boone, Jack Brown, Judy Burges, Cheryl Chase, Eddie Farnsworth, Pamela Gorman, Chuck Gray, Trish Groe, Russell Jones, Bill Konopnicki, Lucy Mason, John McComish, Nancy McLain, Rick Murphy, John Nelson, Warde Nichols, Jonathan Paton, Russell Pearce, Gary Pierce, Doug Quelland, Michelle Reagan, Colette Rosati, David B. Smith, Bob Stump, Steve Tully, Jim Weiers, Jerry Weiers, Steve Yarbrough, and Senators Tim Bee, Ken Bennett, Robert Blendu, Bob Burns, Jake Flake, Ron Gould, Linda Gray, Jack Harper, John Huppenthal, Marilyn Jarrett, Karen Johnson, Barbara Leff, Dean Martin, Jay Tibshraeny, Thayer Verschoor, and Jim Waring.