BIRD TALK

Dear Bird Talk
Re: Florida Tax Situation

My wife and I have been CSA members for several years and we have been fortunate to spend a couple of months in Arizona each spring for the last 10 years. We do enjoy reading the CSANews.

It is interesting to notice the difference in attitude of the residents of Florida and the residents of the state of Arizona regarding snowbirds.

I have enclosed a copy of an editorial which was written for the “Scottsdale Republic” and which was published in the “Arizona Republic” (the major newspaper in Arizona) in the spring of 2006. You will notice a very real contrast with the information about Florida property taxes. The city of Paradise Valley (mentioned in the editorial) is not the only city in Arizona which has no property taxes to support city services. The city of Mesa also currently has no property taxes to support city services and there are several other large cities with similar tax structures.

Best regards,
James R. Marshall

Response:
Clip from the article, “Adios, snowbirds, and thank you.”

“Winter visitors increase the quality of life for those who live here all year. They also keep our taxes low. The latest figures from Scottsdale show that visitors paid $28 million in sales and bed taxes. Paradise Valley gets all revenue from those two sources, sparing residents the expense of a property tax to support city services. Visitors pay to widen the streets we use all year. They pay to hire police and firefighters who protect us all year. We have plenty for which to thank our winter visitors. So we’ll wish them a safe trip home, and hope that next year snowpack covers the Midwest well into May.”