Arizona's minimum wage will increase from $12.80 an hour in 2022 to $13.85 an hour in 2023. On January 1, 2024, the minimum wage in 48 states will increase by an additional 50 cents. $14.35 per hour.This increase means that Arizona's inflation rate in 2023 will be lower than the national average.Because Arizona is a state that raises its minimum wage according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index. (CPI). This means that our state follows the national inflation rate rather than the local state-level inflation rate. But now a new group is pushing for an astronomical increase in Arizona's minimum wage.
return On November 7, 2022, an organization named Raise the Wage AZ introduced a measure called . fair pay law. The state-enacted law could come up for a vote in 2024. He proposes raising the minimum wage to a staggering $18 an hour.. The law states, “The Fair Pay Act would increase the minimum wage by $1 in 2025 and 2026, exceeding the cost of living increase, and then leave the cost of living increase unchanged.” Thanks to the Phoenix metropolitan area, the cost of living in Arizona could very well be among the highest in the nation by 2025 and 2026.
Another part of this law is of great concern to many small business owners. “This law requires employers to pay the full minimum wage and gradually reduces the employer's tip offset until the employee adds the full amount of tips to his or her wages.'' I am. This directly reduces profit margins for small businesses and increases product costs for consumers.
It's bad enough that small businesses have been left behind for the past three years due to fiscal policy failures and ignorance at the highest levels of the federal government. They should not expect to face another dramatic increase in the minimum wage. Our state cannot fall into the same trap that California and New York fell into, where large cities dominate secondary cities and small towns.
In addition to this, the Biden administration Ignoring the southern border And immigration policies make undocumented immigrants more dependent on taxpayer-funded programs, further raising overall costs at the local level. Now is not the time to raise the minimum wage to such an extreme level. This is a disappointing initiative because it fails to address any of the other concerns that will impact Arizonans.
That's the reality The Fair Pay Act is bad for Arizona. If this ballot plan passes, rural Arizona will be left behind as prices rise significantly. Small businesses will become dormant. Phoenix will become the Los Angeles of the desert. And for ordinary people living in Arizona, the hurdles to starting a business in Arizona will continue to rise.
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This article Published in free news in arizona Reprinted with permission.
Carson Carpenter is a student at Arizona State University majoring in political science. He is vice president of the ASU College Republicans and interned with Rep. Gosar and Rep. Crane. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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