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What’s Issue 1?

Issue 1 is a ballot measure referred by the politicians in the Arkansas Legislature to place a half-cent sales tax increase for the Highway Commission permanently in the Arkansas Constitution. It will replace a temporary sales tax for roads that was passed in 2012 and that expires in 2023.

Why Do We Oppose It?

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It’s bad tax policy that hurts low- and middle-income families.

• Big trucking companies, who do the vast majority of damage to our roads, do not pay their fair share under Issue 1.

• Low- and middle-income families are left to shoulder the burden for our roads under Issue 1. They pay a much higher proportion of their wages on sales taxes than wealthy or corporate tax payers do. Arkansas sales taxes are already the second-highest in the country.

• Low- and middle-income families in Arkansas already pay over TWICE the tax rate that wealthy and corporate tax payers do. It’s one of the worst tax systems in the country, and Issue 1 makes it WORSE.

• A diesel tax would be a much better way to fairly pay for our transportation needs.

It’s bad transportation policy.

• The Arkansas Department of Transportation is not accountable or transparent on decisions.

• They focus almost exclusively on major road programs in urban areas while neglecting alternative transportation and rural needs.

• The Arkansas Department of Transportation needs reforms before we hand them a blank check.

It ties our hands to deal with future needs.

• The middle of the COVID-19 economic and health crisis is the WRONG time to pass a sales tax for roads. We do not know what needs our communities will have to recover from COVID-19, but this measure places road funding above any other need for funding that might arise.

• Raising the state sales tax permanently limits the ability of city and county government who depend on local sales taxes to meet their local needs.

VOTE NO.

Issue 1 was placed on your ballot by politicians and the big trucking, corporate and road construction companies who want YOUR money to pay for their transportation needs. There are much better ways to build the transportation system everyone in Arkansas needs.