Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Submitted by:
Tomas Leon, MBA, President and CEO
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce supports Questions 1 and 2, and asks you to vote “Yes” on both questions to pass the Transportation plan on May 16. The improvements to our roads and bus system will benefit all of our communities and our regional economy.
The 1/2 cent sales tax (Question 2) must pass for the Transportation Plan to be implemented. The sales tax is our best option for a regional transportation project. Local governments have imposed development impact fees, used voter-approved bonds, and levied other taxes, but we are still short of the revenues truly needed to construct a better regional system.
Groceries, rent, and prescription medicine will not be taxed. Visitors to the area will generate about 20 to 30 percent of the total revenue from sales taxes. It’s estimated the average person will pay only about $2 a month in additional sales taxes. That’s a good investment when you consider we will reap $2.1 billion in transportation improvements that we can all benefit from.
Added sidewalks will mean our children can have safer walks to school, expanded bus routes will make it more convenient to use public transportation, and the road improvements will mean less time and gas wasted in traffic. In fact, businesses in the region can expect to see a production cost savings of nearly $446 million from the transportation improvements.
Completing the projects in the Transportation Plan is expected to provide an $11.4 billion increase in economic productivity and a $3.8 billion increase in family incomes for the county.
Remember that when you go to the polls May 16, both Questions 1 and 2 must pass for the plan to be implemented. A “Yes” vote is a vote for our community and our economy.
