In Arizona, as in Oklahoma, legislators refused requests to raise income taxes on the wealthy, and instead turned to a hodgepodge of revenue sources that are likely to hit a wide range of voters. The funding increase in Arizona will come in part from a new vehicle registration fee and a change in the way some school desegregation efforts are paid for. Lawmakers in Oklahoma pushed through taxes on tobacco, motor fuels, gambling and online sales, in addition to a higher production tax on oil and gas. Noah Karvelis, a music teacher in Tolleson, Ariz., who helped launch the statewide walkout, said that while gains from the action were “significant,” they were not enough. “It’s teachers standing up and fighting back.”Leaders of the teachers’ walkout movement, which calls itself #RedforEd, said they would be shifting their focus to support a ballot initiative to raise income taxes on individuals with income over $250,000 and couples with income over $500,000.

Source: New York Times May 03, 2018 21:03 UTC