The Tucson Rent Tax Initiative

In response to the Tucson City Council including a double tax on renters in their budget, three of the area's most prominent "good government" activists, Jerry Juliani, Richard Bayse, and John Kromko, are circulating petitions to amend the city charter by initiative. The text is as follows:

Official Title: Enough Tax

Amending Chapter 13 of the Tucson City Charter by adding a new section called "Prohibited Taxes" providing for the prohibition of certain taxes.

Text of proposed Amendment

Be it enacted by the people of the City of Tucson:

Chapter 13 of the Tucson City Charter is amended by adding a new section, to read:

PROHIBITED TAXES

The City of Tucson shall not impose any tax on the rental or lease of residential property, nor on the proceeds of such rental or lease.

For the purposes of this section, residential property includes unaffixed manufactured homes and residential ground leases. It does not include any rentals or leases for less than thirty days.

Any such tax in effect on the effective date of this act is hereby repealed.

I've given John Kromko a bit of grief on this 'blog, but this time around, he seems much more "on the ball", moreover, the initiative is much better written.

That renters will oppose the rent tax is almost a sure thing. It's mere anecdotal evidence, but even the pro-tax, unlimited government types around the office are against the rent tax. I think if we play up that this is unfair, unnecessary, and regressive, we can count on enough of the homeowner vote to win. (It actually helps here that Kromko is an old-school left-liberal.) It'll help, too, if students actually show up to the polls when there isn't a charismatic sloganist ("transformational candidate") to inspire them to take up voting as a means of self-expression.

Those seeking more information or petitions should visit EnoughTax.org. More on Tuesday's city council meeting to follow.