Special Arizona legislative session may be limited - Sacramento Business Journal:

ejyceh.wordpress.com
An effort backed by Brewer and business intereste to get a referendum on the statwe ballot asking voters to raisethe state’s 5.6 percen t sales tax by a percentage poin t also faces an uphill with continued skepticism from both ends of the political Brewer called a special session startingt today after vetoing budget plansz last week. The governor failed to get enougn conservative Republican lawmakers to vote for herbudge plans, which include asking voters to approve the temporary sales tax increases and transforming the state’s income tax into a flat 2.8 percent Now, Brewer is looking for support from Democratsz and moderate Republicans to carvde out a compromise.
Moderate Republicansz and Democrats in the Legislature back Brewer onminimizinfg K-12 and university spending and on restoring cuts imposed by the conservativer budget vetoed by the governor July 2. “Recognizinvg the political inflexibility of a majority Republican legislators on the questioh of a temporary salestax increase, the governort will have to push towarfd a bipartisan coalition of Democrats and similar to the combination that was developed over the past six said Stuart Goodman, a principal with Phoenix-based lobbying firm Goodman Schwartz Public Affairs.
This will be Brewer’d first budget as governor after takin over in January for Janet who quit the post tobecomw U.S. secretary of homeland Napolitano, a Democrat, forged budgets during her six years in officre with fellow Democrats and moderate Butthat center-left coalitionn may not back a sale s tax increase referendum, and chances for the flat income tax would be even slimmer, according to officials familiar with budget negotiations. Democrats don’tt like the sales tax increase backee by Brewer andthe Valley’s business establishment because they worrty it will hurt the poor.
They instead want to expand the sales tax to currently untaxedrservice sectors, a move opposec by businesses and Republicans, who control the Legislature. Democrats and liberalp Republicansalso don’t support taking the progressiveness out of the income tax and havingv all taxpayers making more than $10,000 pay 2.8 Conservatives, on the other hand, like the flat tax but they don’t like sales tax increases and favo more spending cuts than Brewer, moderates and If Brewer turns to the left to get some of her budgert wishes, she could lose more The result could be an extremely limited specialp budget session that deals only with education fundinbg and leaves other budget issues, including the salew tax referendum, for yet anotherd expected special session later this Brewer’s budget vetoes last week were limited in scope.
They allowesd the state government to keep running and most agenciexs toget funding. John Loredo, a former state lawmakeer and Democraticpolitical consultant, said Brewer did the right thinh in vetoing some of the budget bills. He wants her to reacgh out to Democrats to solvethe state’s $3 billion-plus budgegt shortfall. “If she is truly concerned abougtthe issues, then it shouldn’y matter where the votes come from,” Loredo said. Business advocate s are watching to see the fate of property includinga $250 million propertt tax that was temporarily repealed in 2005 but will come back at the end of the year withouft further action.
That $250 million propertyt tax was in the budget plans vetoedxby Brewer. Tim state president of NAIOP, a commercial real estate tradr group, is watchful of what kind of compromissthe Governor’s Office might forge with “the spendingg lobby,” who oppose government spending cuts to areas such as educatio n and health care and tend to look skeptically on tax