Proposition · every Arizona voter

Proposition 316Limit local taxes on groceries: voter approval and a 2% cap

Law referred by the Legislature: Proposition 316, referred to voters by the Legislature as HCR 2021 (2025). Passes with a majority of the votes cast on it, and takes effect when the Governor proclaims the result (Arizona Constitution, Article IV, Part 1, Section 1 ). The separate 60% rule is for measures that approve a tax, which this proposal does not do.

INCOMPLETE. Still open on this page: (1) The official ballot wording below is copied word for word from the Secretary of State's ballot language, but the YES and NO lines and the summary above it are ours, from the Legislative Council analysis and the pamphlet arguments read through a summary tool, which paraphrases. (2) Passing vote and later changes are now sourced: majority of the votes cast (Arizona Constitution, Article IV, Part 1, Section 1) and the Proposition 105 notice in the 2026 Publicity Pamphlet, which says changes to a voter-approved law must further its purpose and need three-fourths of each chamber, or another vote of the people. (3) The "Today" column is our reading of the official "no" statement ("keeps the current law"), not checked against the current statutes. (4) Cost to the state: no cost estimate found. (5) The reasons for and against are the named arguments printed in the pamphlet; statistics inside them are the writers' claims and we have not checked them. No claim check has been done. (6) Campaign committees and campaign money were not looked up. (7) We did not read the full text of the measure.

Official ballot language (PDF): Secretary of State ballot language (PDF)

In plain words

This changes a state law (Arizona Revised Statutes section 42-6015) about local taxes on food. It covers food and ready-to-drink, non-alcoholic drinks in closed containers meant for home use. A city or town that already taxed food on January 1, 2025 at 2% or more could not raise the rate; one taxing below 2% could raise it only with voter approval, up to 2%. A place with no such tax could adopt one only with voter approval, up to 2%. No new tax or higher rate could start between June 30, 2025 and June 30, 2027, which makes the pause reach back before the vote. (azleg.gov (Arizona Legislature) )

Before and after

Question	Today (our reading of the official NO statement)	If YES wins
Adopting or raising a local grocery tax from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027	Current local-tax laws stay	Not allowed (the ban reaches back to July 1, 2025)
Adopting or raising it after June 30, 2027	Current local-tax laws stay	Only with voter approval, and no higher than 2%
A city already at 2% or more on January 1, 2025	Current local-tax laws stay	Could not raise the rate

From the ballot language, the Legislative Council analysis and the pamphlet: see (azleg.gov (Arizona Legislature) )

Example

Illustration only (our math): at the 2% cap, $100 of groceries would carry $2 of local tax. (azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State) )

Biggest change

From July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027, local governments could not adopt or raise a tax on groceries. source: azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)
After that, any new or higher local grocery tax would need voter approval and could not go above 2%. source: azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)

Who it affects most: Shoppers in cities and towns that tax groceries, and those cities and towns, which use the money for services.

Cost to the state: Unknown. The Legislative Council analysis text we read has no fiscal section. An official argument against says a vetoed 2023 bill would have cost 65 cities over $150 million a year (the writers' claim about a different bill, not checked).

Our plain-words summary. Every line points to its source.

What your vote means

YES

Local governments could not adopt or raise a tax on groceries from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027; after that, only with voter approval and no higher than 2%.

Nothing changes: current laws on local taxes stay.

Our one-line summary of the official YES and NO statements in the Secretary of State's ballot language; the official statements, word for word, are under "Official ballot wording" below.

Why people want it, and why others object

Why this is on the ballot

The Legislature put this on the ballot.

The bill is House Concurrent Resolution 2021 (2025). It amends section 42-6015 of the Arizona Revised Statutes. source: azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)
The pamphlet's Proposition 105 notice says changes to a voter-approved law must further its purpose and need three-fourths of each chamber, or another vote of the people. source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)

Why supporters want it

Kevin Hartke, mayor of Chandler and president of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, and René Guillen, the League's executive director (the only argument for): the local tax on food for home use is a key source of money for many cities; the measure keeps cities' current revenue so services are not cut, requires a vote for future increases up to a cap, and lets cities above the cap only lower the tax. source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)

Why opponents object

Civic Engagement Beyond Voting (Melinda Iyer and Catherine Sigmon): it is tax relief in disguise that weakens local control and could force service cuts or property tax hikes; they say a vetoed 2023 bill would have cost 65 cities over $150 million a year (their claim). source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)
Gayle Shanks and Bob Sommer, Changing Hands Bookstore: the cap is state overreach that limits city budgets, and a public vote on small changes is slow and costly. source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)
Timothy Everhard, Arizonans for Freedom: the forced cap is a significant legislative overreach that will hurt places that depend on these taxes. source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)

Who backs each side

For: League of Arizona Cities and Towns (its president and executive director signed the argument). Campaign committees and campaign money for this proposition were not looked up (INCOMPLETE). source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)
Against: Civic Engagement Beyond Voting, Changing Hands Bookstore and Arizonans for Freedom. Campaign committees and campaign money for this proposition were not looked up (INCOMPLETE). source: apps.azsos.gov (Arizona Secretary of State)

In each side's own words where we could find them, quoted or summarized with a link to the source. We don't endorse either side.

What you will see on your ballot

Official ballot wording, word for word (tap to open)

The official ballot title, word for word from the Secretary of State's ballot language file .

REFERRED TO THE PEOPLE BY THE LEGISLATURE RELATING TO MUNICIPAL TRANSACTION PRIVILEGE TAX
OFFICIAL TITLE
AMENDING TITLE 42, CHAPTER 6, ARTICLE 1, SECTION 42-6015, ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES.
DESCRIPTIVE TITLE
RETROACTIVELY PROHIBITS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FROM ADOPTING OR INCREASING A TAX ON GROCERIES WITHOUT VOTER APPROVAL AND SETS A MAXIMUM RATE OF 2%.

A “yes” vote shall have the effect of: (1) retroactively prohibiting local governments from adopting or increasing a tax on groceries from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027; and (2) after that time, prohibiting local governments from adopting or increasing a tax on groceries without voter approval and limiting any new or increased tax to a maximum rate of 2%.
A “no” vote shall have the effect of maintaining the current laws relating to local government taxation.

Copied word for word from the Secretary of State's ballot language PDF (2026-Ballot-Language-English-2026-0819.pdf), page 4. The Secretary of State's file has no separate question line; it prints the official title, the descriptive title, and a YES statement and a NO statement, shown here in that order.

Latest news

Recent reporting from a range of outlets, newest first. We link to it; we don't endorse it.

No articles collected yet for this measure.

Full text of the measure

The Secretary of State's ballot language file prints the descriptive title and the YES and NO statements. The full text of the resolution is on the Legislature's website (azleg.gov, HCR 2021, 2025 session); we have not read it. Read it in the Secretary of State ballot language (PDF) .

We link to analysis from several sources; we don't endorse it.