(The Center Square) – A half-cent sales tax for the transportation funding in Maricopa County seems likely to pass.
Proposition 479 is leading with 60.18% of the vote, compared with 39.82% voting against the ballot measure as of Wednesday afternoon. When looking more closely, over 730,000 people have backed the proposition so far, but there is a significant number of ballots still left to be counted in the county.
“While each entity and each voter may have had different reasons for supporting Prop. 479, the common thread is consumers want and voted for more transportation options,” Diane E. Brown, Executive Director of the Arizona Public Interest Research Group (Arizona PIRG) and convenor of the Coalition for Transportation Choices, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The tax will remain in effect for the next 20 years if approved, as it was first implemented in 1985 and then again in 2004, according to the Maricopa Association of Governments.
Specifically, the funds are meant to tackle infrastructure woes as they relate to traffic in the increasingly growing county. The association said that 40.5% of the tax revenue will go toward “freeways and highways,” 22.5% toward other roads and infrastructure, and 37% to public transportation uses, including buses and “dial a ride.”
The measure was notably backed by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which argued that it would help the state’s economic development efforts.
“With the passage of Prop 479, voters have secured a critical investment in Arizona’s future growth by extending funding for essential transportation infrastructure,” Danny Seiden, the organization’s CEO, stated. “This measure ensures that crucial improvements to highways, roads, and public transit stay on track—leading to faster commutes, less congestion, and a transportation network that moves our economy forward.”
On the opposition side, the Goldwater Institute said the tax would not be beneficial to Arizonans as price levels remain high.
“Now, 40 years after the passage of the first “temporary” tax, voters are now expected to support Prop. 479, a new $30 billion tax increase – the largest tax increase in Arizona’s history,” the institute argues on its website.
