IPFS News Link • Activism
Arizona Libertarian Party hoping to repeal Phoenix food tax
• ABC15 (video) | Arizona Libertarian Party hoping to repeal Phoenix food tax |
"The city government simply said we need to grab this money," said Joe Cobb, Libertarian Party Treasurer. "We the people think we should rise up and say 'no.'"
Last week the Phoenix City Council approved a 2 percent tax on food.
The money raised from the tax would help keep jobs in both the Phoenix Fire and Police Departments from being cut.
"I think we should cut the police department in favor of relying on the unorganized militia for our safety," said Barry Hess, Vice-Chair of the Arizona Libertarian Party.
Reached by phone Monday night, a Phoenix Fire Department spokesperson said firefighters have already given up a lot, from furlough days to positions going unfilled.
"(The Libertarians) are not taking into consideration public safety and other services provided by the City of Phoenix," said Pete Gorraiz, President of the United Phoenix Firefighters Association.
But the Libertarians believes the fire department needs to do more.
|
Citywide - Bilingual District 8 District 2 Districts 5 and 7 District 8 |
Districts 1 and 5 District 7 District 1 District 6 District 3 |
District 6 District 2 District 3 District 7 District 4 |
City of Phoenix
Budget and Research Department
200 W. Washington St., 14th floor
Phoenix, AZ 85003
602-262-4800
budget.research@phoenix.gov
Watch Streaming Broadcast Live:
LRN.fm
DLive
Telegram
5 Comments in Response to Arizona Libertarian Party hoping to repeal Phoenix food tax
How is that different from what I just said?
Public safety (police, fire, family advocacy, and criminal justice [muni court, prosecutor, and public defender]) is 67% of the general fund.
Police alone is 39.7% of the general fund or 20.88% of the total budget.
Brock, you are right and you are wrong. It is 70% of the GENERAL FUND. Your % is right as a % of the OVERALL budget which includes far more than just the general fund.
70% is insane because it's not true. "Public Safety" is 67% of the budget. It includes all of public safety, including fire and family advocacy, and criminal justice (muni court, prosecutor, and public defender). And, it's a percentage of the general fund expenditures, not the total budget.
The actual number for police is 39.7% of the general fund or 20.88% of the total budget. It's that large because Phoenix is a blip in Arizona. Most of the "services" are in Maricopa's rubric.
Ok, Ernie just told me 70% of the budget is going to the Police. There is something very wrong here. This can't be about having too little Police, this is about having too much. This 70% number needs to be put out there because it's insane and that means technically Phoenix is in a "police state".
The reality here is that the City, the State, and the Federal Government are never going to be willing to cut funding. Guess what? People can't afford to pay for stuff because 17% of the US is either unemployed or underemployed. Here in the private sector, we stop spending on stuff we no longer can afford. Government doesn't wish to do this and they'd rather take from us by force. The reality is, if these services are so important, then cut other services to pay for them, like libraries, parks, etc. But even so, the free market could provide all that we are asking for at much lower costs. Right now, government pensions and other entitlements have bankrupted the states. Government workers make 50% more than private workers, yet with less efficiency and effort. It's time to put an end to this now.