Here’s a website where people can submit ideas to the Governor for how we can fix the Arizona budget deficit.

It seems to me that our AZ state politicos have overlooked a source of revenue — tax the Arizona greyhound racing venues.

While everyone is running amuck cutting vital services and asking state funded college students and their parents to pay more — greyhound racing in Arizona does not pay taxes on their pari-mutuel or gambling earnings.

Granted this greyhound racing bailout loophole won’t solve the entire Arizona budget deficit problem but between the Phoenix and Tucson dog tracks — there are millions of dollars that can be put back into the system for Arizona taxpayers.

If you live in Arizona, I urge you to go to the website and submit the idea to start taxing dog track pari-mutuel earnings.  Dog tracks should not have a hardship tax credit at the expense of a budget deficit where necessary services are cut and others have to pay more while the dog tracks pay less.

So far the lobbyists have done all the talking — NOW IT’S YOUR TURN!

This extra special treatment for Arizona dog tracks has been going on since the mid 1990s. It might have made sense then  but it makes ZERO SENSE now.

Demand it! Share the website with your friends and ask them to do the same. Pass it on.

Here is an article regarding greyhound racing and tax issues.

“Over the past several years, as the pari-mutuel tax revenues have declined, pari-mutuel receipts fell from $2.5 million in FY 2000 to approximately $429,600 in FY 2008, the contributions from the unclaimed property monies to each of the 8 funds increased. This in turn, reduces the monies available to the General Fund. Therefore, the unclaimed
property monies are becoming increasingly important to the continuation of the programs supported by these 8 funds. The unclaimed property monies constitute 95% of the Department of Racing’s FY 2008 total revenues.”*

The unclaimed properties monies should be going to enhance the lives of Arizona students and residents not the Department of Racing.  Mention that in the OSS website too.

*Arizona Department of Racing funding sources

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