Oct 31, 2018   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Arizona Small Business Association (ASBA) Opposes Prop 127

No on Prop 127 – the Arizona Small Business Association (ASBA) through its Board of Directors, have taken a position to OPPOSE Arizona Proposition 127, protecting Arizona small businesses and ensuring long term economic stability. If approved, this measure will significantly raise electricity rates in Arizona. In order to meet the initiative’s renewable requirement, utilities will be forced to spend billions of dollars on new solar farms, added costs will be passed along to ratepayers in what amounts to a new energy tax on Arizona families and small businesses.

“The Arizona Small Business Association believes there is a tremendous opportunity in developing renewable energy sources for economic and environmental reasons. Proposition 127 mandates changes in our utility system without consideration to the economic impact to small businesses and the underprivileged in our State. The ASBA Public Policy Committee has determined that it is better to have these major decisions discussed and implemented within the Arizona legislative process where these ideas may be thoroughly vetted. In addition, the amount of money spent on this campaign would be better spent on research and development on new, viable solar technology rather than voter persuasion,” said Andy Hann, ASBA Chairman, Public Policy Committee.

If approved, Prop 127 mandates will cost Arizona thousands of jobs, double energy costs between now and 2060, Arizona would forfeit: $72.5 billion in Gross State Product; $42.5 billion in disposable personal income; $5.8 billion in state and local tax revenues; and $1.7 billion in statewide property tax revenue. The Constitutional Amendment would replace Arizona's current plan for increasing renewable energy use by imposing a new mandate requiring nongovernmental electric utilities to increase the portion of their retail energy sales generated from certain types of renewable energy resources to 50% by 2030.

ASBA continues a 45-year legacy of providing advocacy and resources to local small businesses, creating new and better ways to make business-to-business connections, and advocating for public policy supporting the state of Arizona business community.

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