Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs on Tuesday vetoed a Republican-backed proposal to extend a longstanding half-cent sales tax that funds transportation projects in Arizona’s most populous county and is set to expire at the end of 2025.approved in party-line votes would have prohibited the sales tax dollars from being used in Maricopa County to expand a light-rail line to the state Capitol, which was criticized by Republican lawmakers as a waste.
""I’m dedicated to continuing Arizona’s economic growth, building and attracting businesses, and creating good-paying jobs for Arizona workers," the governor said in a statement. "This partisan bill does none of those things."If the proposal had been signed into law, voters would have been asked two questions.
The tax, which was first approved in 1985, helps to pay for major Phoenix-area freeway projects, bus service and the Phoenix area’s light rail system. It was extended in 2004.The mayors of Phoenix, Mesa and four other communities in Maricopa County voiced their opposition to the proposal, saying the transportation priorities of the bill’s backers don’t mesh with the realities of a fast-growing county.