Business View Magazine | August 2020

197 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE AUGUST 2020 TUCSON, AR I ZONA says Coffee. “Another important incentive, particularly as it relates to downtown, is our Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET) Program and its eight-year tax abatement for projects that develop within our central business district. That’s where the city can provide property tax relief for projects that are making an investment in downtown. To become “government property” the city will take ownership of the property for the duration that the owner wishes to be relieved of tax obligations. “Throughout the city, we also have creatively used our Site Specific Sales Tax Incentive for large sales tax revenue generating projects. We’ve also expanded our Global Economic Development District (GEDD), to attract manufacturing and large logistics industries along our I-10 corridor. And when we’re thinking about attracting industry to Tucson, there’s also what I call ‘the California Factor.’ We know that when companies are looking at Tucson, they’re often thinking about either how to get as close to California without going in, or they’re trying to get out of California. In terms of the cost of doing business here in Tucson, it’s about 30 percent less than what it would be in California – whether it’s workers comp, utility rates, income taxes, etc. We are certainly a cost-effective solution when companies are trying to expand or relocate. We compete with Nevada, and sometimes southern Utah, when companies are looking for a western region location. “Another key factor in distinguishing competitive advantages for Tucson is its proximity to Mexico. We are just an hour from the Nogales Port of Entry, and we see a lot of bi-national, bi- lingual, and bi-lateral opportunities here in our manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing sector. It’s not uncommon to see companies doing business on both sides of the border and taking advantage of what both Mexico and Arizona have to offer in terms of the low cost of doing business. We also recognize that time is money, so we help companies get open as quickly as Courtesy of Visit Tucson