Our state is in deep financial straits. Cutting already reduced benefits to our schools, social entities, health care, prisons, roads, etc. will only worsen tough times for the beneficiaries of these services and sink our glorious state further into the bottom of an economic abyss.
Since our legislative leaders are so opposed to any tax increase to assist us in our time of need, the following are some “revenue enhancement” suggestions to raise capital with as little pain to our citizens as possible:
1. Initiate a 5-10 percent surcharge on all tickets for sporting events; i.e., ASU, U of A, Cardinals, Coyotes, D-Backs, Suns, bowl games and the Phoenix Open and other golfing events.
2. Surcharge all beer, liquor, tobacco, soda pop and junk food purchases.
3. Increase the surcharge (if there is one already) on all cell phone calls, texts, e-mails and other forms of electronic communications with the exception of land line telephones.
4. Surcharge all lottery ticket sales.
5. Movies and DVD’s should have a surcharge added to their purchases.
Revenue from any or all of these ideas should help pay for transplants for needy patients, keep some schools from having to lay off more badly-needed teachers and give us some breathing room until our economy recovers to pre-recession conditions.
It seems like there is not only a shortage of money in our state, but it also appears there is a shortage of creative financial thinking in our legislature.
Richard K. Meszar, Mesa
Slabside posted at 2:39 pm on Fri, Jan 7, 2011.
Well heck Richard, let's not there! Let's install air meters on all Arizonans and start taxing the air that they breath! Get real... the blue collars are paying enough as it is without your eccentric ideas. Seems to me upper management in all areas of the state government never comes under scrutiny during hard economic times. It's always the worker Indians that suffer and never the chiefs. Its high time to clean house in areas of upper management.
Slabside posted at 2:50 pm on Fri, Jan 7, 2011.
Meant to type in "stop" between not and there.
Dale Whiting posted at 8:40 am on Sat, Jan 8, 2011.
Ya, I feel your pain, too, Slabside. Some times I get so worked up about something, typing so fast, and thinking even faster, that I also make mistakes.
Richard, you failed to mention that Illinois State Congressman, who feeling sympathy for those couple of Arizonans who had been denied AHCCCS funds for particular organ transplants, decided to review Arizona's budget. Finding 26 areas where savings and matching federal funds were available sufficient to fully fund AHCCCS, he sent those 26 ideas to Gov. Brewer [Not SB1070, so not sure she can understand them] and elected members of the AZ Legislature in both parties.
So when it takes a sympathetic Illinois man to find 26 ways to economize and find more funds, the question coming to mind is "Why didn't we elect Buzz Mills?' And the answer is "When affixing a signature to SB1070, the pen is mightier than the sword!"