PHOENIX—More than 130 people turned out Saturday for an Arizona Federation of Taxpayers awards luncheon to honor the top tax-cutters and spending hawks in the Arizona state legislature. “It looks like we’re going to need a much bigger venue next year,” said AFT chairman Chad Kirkpatrick. “People really love it when their legislators do the right thing and vote against taxes and spending.”

The luncheon was keynoted by U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, the highest-scoring senator on the 2004 rating by Citizens Against Government Waste. Sen. Kyl briefed the audience on federal tax policy, including his efforts to reduce or repeal several taxes, including the death tax.

Next came a series of AFT awards for the best legislation from the Arizona legislature’s spring session. Sen. Dean Martin (Phoenix) won the Desert Tiger Award, for sponsoring the business property tax reduction bill, which will reduce the assessment ratio for business property taxes from 25 percent to 20 percent over several years. Sen. Martin also won a Horseshoes and Hand Grenades Award, for sponsoring the corporate tuition tax credit bill, which AFT calls “the best legislation that was vetoed by Gov. Janet Napolitano.”

The federation’s other Horseshoes and Hand Grenades Award went to Rep. Russell K. Pearce (Mesa), for his sponsorship of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, a referendum resolution which would have limited the growth of state government spending to the rate of population growth plus inflation, a modified version of Colorado’s successful ballot initiative, which saved that state’s taxpayers over $3.2 billion. The need for such a measure in Arizona was stressed in a speech by former Arizona Senate Majority Leader Tom Patterson, who served as emcee for the event.

AFT also gave awards for the three legislative districts having the highest average scores on its 21st annual Legislative Scorecard. LD22 took top place, with Sen. Thayer Verschoor, Rep. Andy Biggs, and Rep. Eddie Farnsworth earning the highest combined average for any district in the state. In second place was LD4, headed up by district chairman Lyle Tuttle, and LD9 came in third place. “It’s a great event for your hardworking precinct committeemen,” said Tuttle, who also serves as chairman of the PAChyderm Coalition. “They can see the efforts of their work on behalf of fiscally conservative candidates.”

For the worst legislation, AFT gave its Enron Accounting Award for the “most egregious accounting gimmick” to the K-12 rollover, by which the final payment of state aid to education will be moved from June 15, 2006 to July 1, effectively moving it from the FY2006 budget to the 2007 budget. “It’s illegal for private-sector companies to play this kind of shell game,” Kirkpatrick said. “Government should be held to the same standard.”

The Desert Mirage Award, for the “silliest legislation designed to boost the Arizona economy,” went to the movie tax credit, which allows movie companies an income tax credit of up to 20 percent of their in-state costs. AFT vice chairman Tom Jenney explained that the federation opposes all tax credits, except those which are necessary to bring competition to government monopolies such as the state’s school system. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (Phoenix) received hearty applause for showing up at a mostly conservative crowd to accept the AFT’s Vladimir I. Lenin Award for the most pro-big government legislator.

For the legislators who earned between 70 and 79 percent on the AFT’s 2005 scorecard, the federation handed out Friend of the Taxpayer certificates. The Friends of the Taxpayer who accepted awards included Rep. Trish Groe (Lake Havasu City), Sen. John Huppenthal (Ahwatukee), Sen. Barbara Leff (Phoenix), Rep. David Burnell Smith (Phoenix) and Sen. Jim Waring (Phoenix).

For the legislators who earned between 80 and 89 percent on the scorecard, the federation awarded Champion of the Taxpayer plaques. Awardees included Rep. Judy Burges (Sun City West), Rep. Colette Rosati (Scottsdale), Rep. Russell K. Pearce, Rep. Rick Murphy (Peoria), Rep. Chuck Gray (Mesa), Rep. John M. Allen (Phoenix), and Sen. Dean Martin. The third-highest scoring Champion was Sen. Jack W. Harper (Surprise), and in second place was freshman Representative Pamela Gorman (Phoenix).

Accepting the AFT’s Barry M. Goldwater Legislative Leadership Award was freshman Senator Ron Gould of Lake Havasu City. Gould explained how he earned the highest score on the report card by telling the audience, “I don’t represent the lobbyists. I represent the taxpayers.”

Press Contacts:

Chad Kirkpatrick, Chairman, Arizona Federation of Taxpayers, (602) 214-6362, chair@aztaxpayers.org

Tom Jenney, Vice Chairman, Arizona Federation of Taxpayers, (602) 478-0146, vc@aztaxpayers.org

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