PHOENIX — A judge has declared that a tax on high-earning Arizona residents to boost education spending can’t be enforced because of a state Supreme Court ruling and has ordered its collection permanently blocked.
Friday's ruling from Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah was widely expected after the Supreme Court ruled in August that the tax was unconstitutional if it put schools above a legal spending cap.
Voters approved the tax in 2020 to increase teacher pay and school spending in a state with the lowest educator pay in the nation and overall per-student spending levels.
It was expected to add more than $800 million a year for K-12 schools.
Governor Doug Ducey called the ruling a "win for Arizona taxpayers," in a Tweet.
This ruling is a win for Arizona taxpayers. It’s another step in undoing the damage of Prop 208 and making sure we continue to benefit from having the lowest flat income tax rate in the nation. 1/
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) March 11, 2022
