Republican Ken Bennett, Democrat Fred Duval, Libertarian Barry Hess, and Independent JL Mealer headline a strikingly diverse group of Arizona politicians who all agree that a new property tax on leased rooftop solar is wrong.
On June 10th TUSK (Tell Utilities Solar Won’t be Killed) sent surveys to candidates across Arizona. As of July 10th, fifty-four candidates have responded. All but two expressed opposition to the tax.
Nineteen Republican and twenty-nine Democratic candidates have said they oppose the solar tax which is being imposed on leased rooftop solar customers because of a decision by bureaucrats in the Department of Revenue. Governor Brewer has thus far refused to repeal the tax. TUSK remains hopeful Arizona’s current governor will change her mind, as she used to refer to herself as “The Solar Queen.” If the tax is not repealed or if legislation is not passed, tens of thousands of Arizona residents, schools, and churches will see higher energy costs.
Fifty-two of the fifty-four candidates said they opposed the solar tax when asked this question: “Do you support the new property tax on rooftop solar customers who lease their systems even though such a tax was implemented by the Department of Revenue without prior consent from the Arizona Legislature?”
Fifty-two candidates also disagreed with the following statement: “Arizonans who go solar should face higher taxes than other Arizonans. Our state needs the revenue and the fact that it was not imposed sooner was an oversight.”
TUSK remains hopeful that all of the candidates who have received the survey will take time to respond especially the rest of the gubernatorial candidates such as Doug Ducey, Christine Jones, Andrew Thomas, Scott Smith and Frank Riggs.
TUSK was launched to stand against new solar taxes and for energy independence. TUSK Chairman Barry Goldwater Jr. said, “We hope all of the candidates respond to this poll, not because we are seeking a response we want to hear, but because we are seeking honest responses. That’s the best way for us to learn which candidates are solar supporters and which candidates would side with utility monopolies.”
To learn more about T.U.S.K. visit www.dontkillsolar.com.
T.U.S.K. believes that rooftop solar is similar to a charter school—it provides a competitive alternative to the monopoly. Monopoly utilities aren’t known for reducing costs or for driving business innovation, but the solar industry is. Solar companies have a track record of aggressive cost reduction. The more people use rooftop solar, the less power they need to buy from the utilities. Energy independence means smaller profits for the utilities, so they are doing everything they can to stop the spread of independent solar.