By Philip Haldiman | YourValley.net
A retirement community in a Maricopa County island is fighting for equity in taxation.
Residents of the 1,650-home Corte Bella development, located just south of Loop 303 and just north of Sun City West, claim they must pay a portion of their property taxes to Peoria Unified School District while nearby retirement communities Sun City and Sun City West are exempt from some school taxes within the secondary property tax category.
Bob Baldesari, a member of the community’s government affairs committee, said he gives 66 percent of his property taxes to PUSD and has paid $33,000 to the district over his 11 years in Corte Bella. He estimates residents have funneled about $57 million into the district.
“Sun City and Sun City West pay no taxes. Why are we not afforded the same constitutional rights as other communities like us? We feel this is taxation without representation. I say it is taxation without location. We’re not in the right location,” he said. “Corte Bella doesn’t have any players in the game but we are paying full admission. It is not a fair and equitable method of collecting taxes.”
