THE GROWTH CABAL RESPONDS

A challenge to critics of growth

Five years after a home is built in the Tucson area, it produces an average $2,870 more than what local governments spend to serve new growth. The recent guest column by Ken O'Day and other critics of growth continue to misrepresent this fact.

Last year, every elected official in Pima County and several Star editors and reporters were provided copies of a 100-page study that followed the money: what government collects from impact fees, building permit fees, water permit fees, etc., and where it is spent.

The bottom line: All government costs, including debt, to provide infrastructure and services to those people living in new homes is paid off entirely within five years. I challenge growth critics such as Ken O'Day to empirically prove their points. We have proved ours.

Ed Taczanowsky
President, Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, Tucson

Neato! Then would someone explain why we need the additional sales tax?