Pima County, which is the only county in Arizona without a sales tax, is exploring the idea of a half-cent sales tax and has scheduled a series public meetings to get input on the issue from residents.
The Pima County Sales Tax Advisory Committee is seeking input from the community regarding whether the Board of Supervisors should implement the sales tax.
According to the county, Pima’s primary tax rate is the highest in the state and the proposed sales tax could be used to replace property tax revenue, which would lower property taxes throughout the county. The task of the advisory committee is to determine if the sales tax would be a better source of revenue for the county to pay for over $1 billion in road repairs throughout the region.
Also according to the county, the new property tax, which it is using to pay for local road repairs, will only raise $20 million a year, whereas the sales tax would raise $80 million a year for road repairs.
Visit pima.gov/salestax for public meeting dates and locations or to give feedback online regarding the sales tax.