Arizona’s newly elected representative, Nick Kupper (R-25), is preparing to introduce legislation aimed at helping minors keep more of their hard-earned income. The idea behind the bill comes from 17-year-old Nico Delgado, the former Teenage Republican President, who approached Kupper with the proposal designed to benefit his generation.

Under the proposed legislation, minors earning $50,000 or less annually would be exempt from paying state income taxes. The bill has not been published, but the Arizona Globe received a sneak peek.

“The new language says if minors make $50,000 or less, they will be exempt from the state income tax,” Kupper shared. “This shouldn’t be controversial or partisan. First off, it’s taxation without representation. We don’t allow minors to vote for us, but we tax them. Secondly, I’ve heard some argue that it would be a carve-out, but we already have tons of carve-outs for minors. We don’t let them vote, smoke, drink, etc.”

Delgado echoed those sentiments, pointing to America’s founding principles as the foundation for the bill. “Our nation was founded on the principle of no taxation without representation,” Delgado said. “The fact that young people who can’t vote are still paying income taxes flies in the face of what our founding fathers stood for.”

The legislation’s intent is simple yet profound. It aims to support young people as they take their first steps into the workforce, giving them a financial boost to save for their future or cover personal expenses. Kupper emphasized that safeguards are in place to prevent abuse of the system, stating, “The only reason I am even putting a threshold in place is so that adults don’t try to game the system by paying their kids millions from companies they own to hide taxable money.”

Delgado, a rising political star, has been actively advocating for the bill. “The Republican Party is the party of young people, and we are proving that with this legislation,” he said. “I’ve spent dozens of hours at the Capitol over the last week meeting with legislators, and we are making great progress and hearing a lot of valuable feedback.”

Kupper views the legislation as a step toward empowering the next generation. “We should be setting our children up for success, and this is a small way to help them be better prepared for adulthood,” he stated.

If passed, this bill could set a new standard for how states approach taxation for minors, providing much-needed relief to young earners while reinforcing a commitment to fairness and opportunity.

Since leaving the Teen Republicans, Nico has started NicoPac. You can read more about his efforts here.