Note: Headline by Newshawk

MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION AMONG PROPOSALS FOR ARKANSAS FALL BALLOT

(LITTLE ROCK) - Property owners are attempting to collect more than 72,000
signatures to put a constitutional amendment on this fall's ballot which
would eliminate property taxes in Arkansas. The amendment would replace the
almost $1 billion collected every year from property taxes with a 1 7/8
percent sales tax increase.

Half of the sales tax revenue would go to public schools, which now get 80
percent of property tax revenues.

County and local government would get the rest of the sales tax money.

If approved in November by voters, Arkansas would become the only state in
the country with no real estate or other property tax. Governor Mike
Huckabee says the proposal would be ``absolutely devastating to the
Arkansas economy.''

Eliminating the property tax is one of more than a dozen proposals being
proposed for this fall's ballot, including one to legalize marijuana.
Petitions with the signature of 10 percent of the voters in the last
statewide election must be submitted to the Secretary of State's Office by
July 3. About 58,000 signatures are needed for an initiated act and about
78,000 are needed for a constitutional amendment.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski