Some Maricopa businesses are getting a big tax bill refund

Pinal County business owners are on the clock to get a tax refund.

The county is refunding $87 million to businesses that collected a special tax for the Pinal Regional Transportation Authority from 2018 to 2022. Now, the businesses have two years to claim their refunds.

Voters narrowly approved the half-cent tax levy in 2017 as Proposition 417. Collection was eligible on the first $10,000 of a retail purchase.

The Arizona Supreme Court in early 2022 struck down the transportation tax on a split decision due to state law . Although Pinal County tried to bring the tax back to the ballot that year, most voters rejected the proposition.

The tax would have helped fund several key transportation projects around the county, including widening State Route 347 and constructing the Sonoran Desert Parkway.

As of last week, the county confirmed it refunded more than $12 million to 56 businesses that collected the tax during the four-year period.

Rand Del Cotto, owner of Raceway Bar and Grill on Papago Road, said he wasn’t aware the refund was still applicable after it was first announced in November 2022.

“I don’t think we’ve taken advantage of [the refund], but it sounds like we should,” he said today. “Just being a small business, you try to take advantage of whatever the state or municipality offers.”

Refunds are only eligible to businesses that filed and paid the tax to the Arizona Department of Revenue. For more information on applying for a refund, visit the AZDOR website .

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