|
House Bill 2815 would end "excessive regulation"
I guess this means the messy yard cops will no long be able to seize your home if you don't mow your lawn! I think Nick Dranias is a great guy! I suspect the government nannies who micro-manage our lives and empty our wallets will hate him!!!! E.J. Montini also seems to think the law sucks. But he is a socialist who think so government owns your body and mind so F* Montini! Measure itself is excessive Feb. 17, 2012 12:00 AM The Republic | azcentral.com A bill to cut government red tape is actually designed to blow up virtually all state and local regulations. Everything from barking-dog ordinances to business licenses would be classified as "excessive regulation" under House Bill 2815. The measure would let businesses and individuals file tax credits for costs associated with regulations they considered excessive. The breadth of possibilities is staggering: It would include any requirement that doesn't protect individuals from fraud or substantial damage to health and safety. The Goldwater Institute's Nick Dranias came up with the idea of the regulatory tax credit as an incentive to stop overregulation. This is fine as a mental exercise. But the bill would enshrine in Arizona law his radical view of overregulation. It's an ideology that would usurp local control, replacing majority rule with an extreme individualism that has never been practiced in the United States. The proposal takes aim at noise limits, zoning ordinances of all types, bans on junked vehicles in front of houses, licenses for pest-control businesses, protection for saguaros, historic preservation, restrictions on outdoor lighting, signage requirements ... the list goes on and on. Dranias promotes the tax credit as a "powerful job-creation tool." But it fails to distinguish unproductive red tape from regulations that actually benefit businesses. If a property is overgrown with weeds and covered with graffiti -- conditions a local ordinance might prohibit -- it's an economic hit to the store or restaurant next door. "Dark-sky" ordinances, reducing light pollution, are vital for our economy's astronomy sector. Businesses put a premium on a predictable regulatory environment. HB 2815 would create massive uncertainty, undermining the work of economic development, as tax-credit challenges raised questions about existing ordinances and zoning. And, in an ironic twist, the tax credit would be a bureaucratic nightmare. The state Department of Revenue -- with no additional staff or funding -- would have to judge if taxpayers were rightfully claiming excessive regulation from counties, municipalities, special districts and the state. The treasurer would evaluate any denials. Then, the cost of the tax credit would have to be passed on to the appropriate government entity. For taxpayers, it would be like a lottery: Why not try? If there's a noise ordinance, put in for the price of your muffler. If you have to trim overgrown bushes that block the sidewalk, claim the fair-market value of your time (if you're a lawyer, use your regular billable rate). To avoid a financial train wreck, the bill limits total government liability in the early years to several hundred thousand dollars. But that wouldn't prevent an overwhelming onslaught of claims. The House Commerce Committee approved HB 2815, which contains other provisions, on Thursday. This severely flawed tax credit needs to be removed from the bill. The state and local governments have worked to streamline regulations in recent years. Some cities, for instance, have developed one-day permitting programs. That's the right approach. Arizona needs regulatory reform, not regulatory Armageddon. Goldwater 'watchdogs' bark, legislators bite -- you Is the neighbor's barking dog driving you nuts? Tough. Bothered by the ’72 Buick on cinder blocks in the yard across the street? Too bad. Thanks to the extremely powerful folks at the Goldwater Institute (which now seems to completely run the Arizona Legislature) a proposal is advancing that essentially would eliminate all government-imposed regulations, create a bureaucratic nightmare for the state and cost taxpayers who knows how much to deal with. It is House Bill 2815, which an editorial in The Arizona Republic calls “regulatory Armageddon.” Which may be an understatement. Read the excellent editorial here. Apparently, the only barking dogs heard at the State Capitol wear suits and have offices in a think tank. |