Statement by Governor Jan Brewer

Statement

"It was one year ago today that Arizona voters made an important statement, agreeing to a temporary tax increase in order to fend off more drastic cuts to critical state services. I had fought for this measure, Proposition 100, despite having never voted to raise taxes in my entire career -- not once in 28 years of public service.

"But I knew Arizona faced an extraordinary fiscal challenge. If we were to preserve the core state services we all love and need -- if we were to maintain quality schools, preserve our universities and community colleges, keep felons locked up and preserve a safety net for Arizona's most vulnerable -- then we had no choice but to take Prop. 100 to the voters of Arizona.

"And on May 18, 2010, voters overwhelmingly agreed with me by approving Prop. 100 by a 64-36 margin. This was a landslide victory for the people of Arizona. Prop. 100 will generate $845 million for the state this year alone, sparing an equal number of budget cuts to necessary public services. Without this revenue, it's a certainty that hundreds of millions of dollars in additional cuts would have been taken from K-12 education as part of next year's budget.

"I've always said that Prop. 100 is not a cure-all -- the continued economic slump has required more cuts to education and other important services than I would prefer. But the revenues generated by Prop. 100 have proved to be a lifeline for our state by cushioning the fiscal crisis and preventing cuts that may have decimated schools and public safety.

"My faith in voters has never waned, and I would like to thank them, once again, for doing the right thing for the families, students and all residents of the State of Arizona."

Source