RTA Funding
Transportation projects approved by voters in the Regional Transportation Authority’s 20-year regional plan are funded by a sales tax collected from the RTA’s state-established special taxing district within Pima County.
The current voter-approved, 20-year half-cent sales tax (or transaction privilege tax) is collected by the Arizona Department of Revenue and then transferred to the RTA’s regional transportation fund account to pay for regional project and service improvements.
The plan and tax, which went into effect April 1, 2026, were approved by Pima County voters on March 10, 2026, and are effective through March 31, 2046.
The RTA tax, which applies to visitors as well as residents, businesses and utilities in Pima County, is assessed in six major categories:
- Retail Sales*
- Contracting
- Utilities
- Restaurant & Bar
- Rental of Real Property
- Rental of Personal Property
*Grocery and pharmaceutical items are tax-exempt.
Regardless of where you live, you may contribute to the RTA tax. If you live in the county but do your shopping primarily in one of the local municipalities, your regional tax dollars are collected in the jurisdiction where you spend your money. By state law and RTA policy, the RTA must spend the money collected as outlined in the voter-approved plan based on the established regional priorities at the time of plan development.
The 2026 voter-approved ballot identifies RTA project budgets by main element of the plan and subelements. In addition, the ballot identifies committed non-RTA funding for various projects. The non-RTA dollar amounts pledged to projects are to be provided by entities other than the RTA.
Funding by RTA plan (RTA Next) element:
- Roadway (multimodal) Corridor – $1.42 billion
- Safety, ADA and Active Transportation – $254.6 million
- Arterial and Collector Roads, Pavement Rehabilitation – $177.6 million
- Environmental – $50 million
- Transit – $726 million
Total RTA Budget – $2.67 billion
Total Committed Non-RTA Dollars – $1.21 billion
Total RTA and Non-RTA Commitments – $3.88 billion
2006 RTA Plan and Funding History
In 2006, Pima County voters approved the initial RTA regional transportation plan and countywide sales tax to fund it. The $2.1 billion, 20-year plan and half-cent sales tax were in effect through March 31, 2026, since the new plan and tax were approved on March 10 and became effective April 1, 2026.
Remaining funds of approximately $400 million collected during the original 20-year plan period are in a reserve fund and will apply to 2006 plan projects that remain under construction or will begin construction soon. These projects also are programmed to receive additional federal and state funds that come into the region through fiscal year 2029. The RTA Board has committed to completing these projects from the 2006 plan over the next five years approximately (FYs 2026-2029).
Seven roadway projects from the 2006 plan were subsequently approved by voters as part of the new plan (RTA Next) due to project scope changes or the need for additional funding, which required voter consideration and approval. In addition to receiving funding from the new sales tax, these projects will receive regional funding from federal and state sources through fiscal year 2031.
RTA Performance Audits
An independent, 10-year performance audit of the 2006 voter-approved RTA plan was completed in early 2017 and found that funds were spent as outlined in the ballot. Under a robust framework established by the RTA Board, the audit indicated that the RTA and member jurisdictions were partnering to deliver the projects on budget and on schedule.
10-year RTA Performance Audit The following 10-year performance audit of the RTA plan was compiled by Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting Inc. for the Arizona Office of the Auditor General.
15-year RTA Performance Audit The following 15-year performance audit of the RTA plan was compiled by Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting Inc. for the Arizona Office of the Auditor General.
- RTA Performance Audit Report – Completed April 2022
- RTA Performance Audit – 24-month follow-up report – Sept. 2024
A five-year audit will launch in the summer of 2026 for the closeout of the 2006 plan, and audits will continue every five years going forward.
Additionally, an RTA Citizens Accountability for Regional Transportation (CART) Committee was established in 2006 to provide ongoing oversight of the RTA’s financial and delivery performance. A new CART Committee will be established, effective July 1, 2026.
RTA Funding Impact
Annually, the RTA is the single biggest funder of transportation projects in the region. State and federal funding sources dedicated for regional transportation needs have been relatively flat since the early 1990s. The Arizona gas tax has remained at 18 cents since 1991, and the federal gas tax has remained at 18.4 cents since 1993.
The RTA tax offers a flexible funding solution to meet transportation improvement priorities in the region. View the following transportation funding video to get a simple breakdown of the RTA’s funding impact on the region and its funding flexibility.
The following chart shows the funding impact of the 2006 RTA plan to the region: