ARIZONA FEDERATION OF TAXPAYERS

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The Arizona Federation of Taxpayers promotes family friendly, pro-economic growth policies, where the government picks neither winners nor losers, but ensures equal opportunity for all citizens in our pursuit of happiness.

2005 Legislative Scorecard * First Session of the 47th Legislature

 

Taxpayers or Big Government: Which Does Your Legislator Support?  

 Gov. Napolitano Earns Ranking as an “Ally of Big Government”

 PHOENIX—In its 21^st annual Legislative Scorecard, the Arizona Federation of Taxpayers (AFT) groups Arizona state legislators as those who favor taxpayers and those who favor “Big Government.” Among the new features of this year’s scorecard, AFT includes Gov. Janet Napolitano in its rankings. The governor earned a 38 percent grade, making her an “Ally of Big Government.” Freshman Sen. Ron Gould (R-Lake Havasu), scored 89 percent, putting him at the top of fourteen legislators who ranked as “Champions of the Taxpayer.” At the other end of the spectrum, freshman Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Phoenix) scored 14 percent, making her a “Champion of Big Government” and the lowest-scoring state legislator.

 As a group, Republican legislators earned a 72 percent average, far outpacing the Democrats’ average of 27 percent.  “You could say that the average Republican is a Friend of the Taxpayer, while the average Democrat is a Friend of Big Government,” said AFT Chairman Chad Kirkpatrick. “But there is a wide variation of scores within the parties and not all Republicans scored better than Democrats.”   Phoenix Democrat Sen. Ken Cheuvront’s bested Scottsdale Republican Sen. Carolyn Allen by a score of 47 percent to 44 percent.

 This year’s scorecard is more comprehensive than in previous years, evaluating 115 bills impacting taxation, spending and regulation. The Federation also weighted bills based on their significance to the Arizona economy. “This year’s session was a real mixed bag,” Kirkpatrick said. “There were some solid gains in tax reform, such as the reduction of the business property tax and the marriage penalty, but the 14 percent increase in spending over last year is atrocious.  This underlines the need for effective limits on taxes and spending.” 

 Asked about the presence of dozens of regulatory bills in the report card, AFT Vice Chairman Tom Jenney said, “Regulations are a form of taxation. In most industries, the net result of regulation is that consumers pay higher prices for goods.  Even in cases where the impact of regulation may be neutral, taxpayers must bear the costs of enforcing regulations.” 

 No legislator made 90 percent, the minimum score required to earn AFT’s highest honor “Hero of the Taxpayer.” “Sen. Gould was really close,” said Kirkpatrick. “That’ll give him something to reach for in next year’s session.” Gould will receive the Federation’s 2005 Barry M. Goldwater Award for Legislative Leadership at its annual awards luncheon scheduled for late October.

     Key Links

How does your legislator rate: full size chart

2005 Legislator Rankings

The Best & Worst of 2005 Legislative Session 

Bill Vote Detail for the Senate

Bill Vote Detail for the House

Bill Vote Key (this identifies each vote)

2004 Legislative Scorecard