Notes from the Chair | Vote YES on Prop 208
PCDP and Arizona Democratic Party STRONGLY support Proposition 208 –Invest in Ed. We urge you to do the same.
The Arizona legislature has HISTORICALLY underfunded education, resulting in crisis-level teacher shortages. When the legislature fails to act, initiatives are our only recourse. (Over 400,000) NEARLY HALF A MILLION Arizonans signed petitions to get this initiative on the ballot.
Why?
- Average class sizes in AZ are at record highs.
- Our counselor to student ratio is the worst in the country.
- AZ’s per-pupil funding is one of the lowest in the nation and remains lower than it was before the 2008 recession. AZ spends $800 million less on education than it did a decade ago.
- There were more than 1,800 unfilled teaching positions at the start of the 2019-2020 school year. Teaching in AZ is simply not a career many people can afford.
Prop 208, if passed, is expected to raise $827 million in revenue in the first full year of implementation.
It will impose a 3.5% income tax surcharge on taxable individual income over:
- $250,000 for a single person or a married person filing separately.
- $500,000 for a married couple or a single person who is head of a household.
If you and your spouse earn between $1 and $500,000 in combined (personal) TAXABLE income, you will pay no extra taxes. If you and your spouse earn $501,000 in combined (personal) TAXABLE income, your additional tax burden will be $35 (3.5% of $1,000).
(Note: taxable income is not gross or adjusted gross income. It’s what you are taxed on in AZ after all exemptions and deductions and is often 2/3 or 1/2 of gross, especially if you’re wealthy with lots of write offs.)