Grand Canyon University Tax Break Fails

By Nick Blumberg
Published: Tuesday, April 15, 2014 - 5:42pm

A huge tax break for a private Christian university has once again failed at the Arizona Legislature.

Grand Canyon University wants its property to be reclassified into a much lower tax bracket. The move would save the school about $750,000 a year immediately. New construction at GCU’s Phoenix campus or its planned expansion into Mesa would also be classified at the lower rate, meaning the school could save even more money in the future.

Two weeks ago, an Arizona House committee rejected the proposal as potentially unconstitutional. Tuesday, Senate sponsor Steve Yarbrough tried to resurrect the plan by tacking it onto another tax bill, but the move failed.