Lobbyists for the owner of a 3,200-acre property in east Mesa pushed in the last legislative session for changes in the law that would have allowed even more lucrative tax breaks than the ones the city is offering for development of the property, according to critics of the bill.


Mesa deal will save resort developers $85.5M

The primary tax rate for Pinal County property owners would drop to the lowest level in 30 years under a tentative budget approved by county officials.


The tax paid this fiscal year to the county on a home valued at $100,000 was about $402. In the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1, the tax on a house valued at $100,000 would be about $344.

A tax break for an entertainment district south of Chase Field. Tax credits for manufacturers of solar components. Incentives that could lead to a new baseball stadium in Tucson.


Together, these could create jobs necessary to revive Arizona's sagging economy, some Arizona lawmakers believe. They unveiled their plan Tuesday and hope to push it through the Legislature during the final two weeks of the session.

Queen Creek property owners will pay higher tax bills this year based on increased assessed property values despite a declining housing market.


Voters approved the town's first-ever primary property tax of $1.95 per $100 of assessed valuation last year to fund the start-up Queen Creek Fire Department and the town's contract with Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.


While that rate won't change, Queen Creek property owners are paying higher taxes based on property values at the start of 2007.

PHOENIX — Arizona lawmakers voted Tuesday to prevent the return of a suspended property tax.


The 16-14 Senate vote to repeal the levy came over the objections of two Republicans who chided colleagues for renouncing future revenues even before they know how they will finance the state’s needs.


“Call me silly, call me crazy,” said Sen. Carolyn Allen, R-Scottsdale. “But it doesn’t seem very prudent to me without the long big picture of knowing what this budget and what we’re going to be asked to do, to dump another $250 million on top of it with no plan.’’

PHOENIX - The Arizona Legislature has tossed a political hot potato - the possible return of a suspended state property tax - to Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano.


A House-passed bill to repeal a suspended state property tax cleared the Arizona Senate with no votes to spare Tuesday as one Democrat joined all but two Republicans in voting for the bill.


The bill (HB2220) would permanently repeal a state property tax to avoid having it automatically take effect again.

PHOENIX — A business-backed Republican bill to permanently repeal a suspended state property tax has squeaked through the Arizona House with one vote to spare.


The House approved the repeal bill Tuesday on a 32-28 vote largely along party lines. It takes a minimum of 31 votes for the 60-member House to pass a bill.


The bill now goes to the Senate. The chief sponsor of that chamber’s version has acknowledged a Senate vote also would be a cliffhanger.

Dramatic fluctuations in the real-estate market in recent years have caused considerable unrest among property taxpayers across Arizona.


Beginning in 2005, the Arizona real-estate market skyrocketed, particularly in the residential-housing market. As they are constitutionally required, county assessors responded to the market by increasing property valuations for property-tax purposes. In Maricopa County, residential properties increased 60 percent in most cases.

SONOITA — As chief of the Sonoita-Elgin Fire District in Santa Cruz County, Joseph De Wolf oversees the response to everything from large wildfires to rollover accidents involving speeding trucks full of illegal migrants.


He does it all on a budget of only $890,000 – not enough to meet the challenges he confronts every day, he says.


“We’re under a huge amount of financial pressure right now,” De Wolf says. “I don’t have what I need to cover my area.”

With support from business groups and tax-reduction advocates, an Arizona House panel Monday approved a bill that would permanently repeal a statewide property tax.


The move is projected to provide $250 million in annual tax relief.


The biggest winners in eliminating the school-equalization tax are businesses, whose tax assessment is more than twice the rate of homeowners. A business with property valued at $1 million would receive about $775 in savings, and the amount would increase based on higher values.