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Arizona budget: Flat tax is key feature of $12 4 billion spending plan
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Republicans in the state Legislature appear headed toward implementing a version of a flat tax for Arizona.
As House Appropriations Chair Regina Cobb told The Show April 20, there are some questions about how exactly it’d work, and when it might be implemented, but she said it is the direction they’re heading.
Cities across the state say if that happens, they could stand to lose millions of dollars.
Tom Belshe is the executive director of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. The Show spoke with him to learn about how this move could affect cities.
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MARK BRODIE: Arizona voters legalized recreational marijuana in last month s election, but it won t be available in every city and town in the state. Proposition 207 allows municipalities to limit the number of dispensaries, put certain zoning restrictions for them in place and prohibit marijuana establishments altogether. And some Arizona cities and towns have already done that last one, including Scottsdale and Gilbert. But how will the rest of Arizona cities and towns handle this issue? With me to talk about that is Tom Belshe, executive director of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. And Tom, what are you hearing from city officials about how they re thinking about recreational marijuana coming online in Arizona, and whether or not they might look to allow it or not in their municipality?
Scube did not respond to
New Times request for comment, and Curaleaf declined to comment. But the answer is rather simple: Curaleaf already operates a medical marijuana dispensary in Gilbert, and under Prop 207, medical dispensaries are allowed to pursue recreational marijuana licenses. If the Gilbert Town Council approved the ordinance, Curaleaf could become a “dual licensee” (a facility that sells both medical and recreational cannabis) and, crucially, the only pot shop in town. In effect, Curaleaf would have a monopoly in Gilbert.
Which it now does: The Gilbert Town Council unanimously approved the ordinance.
Others have since followed Gilbert’s lead, creating de-facto monopolies for existing medical marijuana facilities and building barriers for new players looking to get into the new recreational cannabis market in Arizona. In the weeks after the election, several local governments passed similar laws, including Scottsdale, Mesa, Goodyear, and Surprise. Tempe is cur
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