OPINION — Sound public policy is defined by how revenue is raised, who bears the burden and whether spending comes with real accountability.
Tempe’s Proposition 424 fails on all three counts.
The City Council wants voters to approve a permanent 0.5% sales-tax increase — a massive 28% jump in our tax rate. It is the city’s largest tax hike in 30 years, extracting $50.5 million annually forever. Proponents argue that visitors will pay a share, but sales taxes are inherently regressive. They hit local working-class and middle-class families hardest on daily purchases, the very households already struggling under soaring rents.
