Category Archives: State Legislative Updates

Veteran’s Pension Fully Exempt from State Income Tax

Governor’s Office Reminds Military Veterans Of New Pension Exemption

By Terri Jo Neff | AZ Free News
July 24, 2021
Gov. Doug Ducey wants to remind the more than 50,000 military veterans living in Arizona that he signed legislation which now fully exempts military pensions from state income taxes.
“Veterans put the safety of our great nation first. We should honor their service, not tax it,” Ducey tweeted this week.
Arizona’s tax code previously exempted only $3,500 of a veteran’s military pension. Getting it to a full exemption was something Ducey announced as a priority during his January 2020 State of the State speech, but then the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all but priority budget considerations.
When the new legislative session convened in January 2021, the governor once again made tax relief for veterans a priority. It took until the last week of June, but the full exemption passed and Ducey signed the legislation.
“Our nation’s greatest heroes will no longer pay taxes on their retirement pay. This saves the average veteran an additional $650 a year,” Ducey said after signing the bill.
In addition to the pension income tax exemption, the Fiscal Year 2022 budget package signed by the governor includes $25 million for construction and operation of a State Veterans Home in northwestern Arizona. Additional funds were appropriated for operating State Veterans Homes recently opened in Flagstaff and Yuma.
Nearly $775,000 was appropriated to ADVS for the hiring of 12 additional Veteran Benefits Counselors, and the budget includes $100,000 earmarked for distribution to a charitable organization located in southern Arizona to work with regional Veterans organizations to improve services which can reduce Veteran suicides.
Ducey also signed SB1802 which establishes the date every August when Arizonans will recognize National Navajo Code Talkers Day.
Among those getting the word out to veterans is Col. Wanda Wright, director of the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services (ADVS).
“This budget is a real win for Arizona Veterans,” Wright posted to the ADVS website. “It further proves that here in Arizona, we honor and support service members, Veterans and their families.”

Gov. Doug Ducey wants to remind the more than 50,000 military veterans living in Arizona that he signed legislation which now fully exempts military pensions from state income taxes.
“Veterans put the safety of our great nation first. We should honor their service, not tax it,” Ducey tweeted this week.
Arizona’s tax code previously exempted only $3,500 of a veteran’s military pension. Getting it to a full exemption was something Ducey announced as a priority during his January 2020 State of the State speech, but then the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all but priority budget considerations.
When the new legislative session convened in January 2021, the governor once again made tax relief for veterans a priority. It took until the last week of June, but the full exemption passed and Ducey signed the legislation.
“Our nation’s greatest heroes will no longer pay taxes on their retirement pay. This saves the average veteran an additional $650 a year,” Ducey said after signing the bill.
In addition to the pension income tax exemption, the Fiscal Year 2022 budget package signed by the governor includes $25 million for construction and operation of a State Veterans Home in northwestern Arizona. Additional funds were appropriated for operating State Veterans Homes recently opened in Flagstaff and Yuma.
Nearly $775,000 was appropriated to ADVS for the hiring of 12 additional Veteran Benefits Counselors, and the budget includes $100,000 earmarked for distribution to a charitable organization located in southern Arizona to work with regional Veterans organizations to improve services which can reduce Veteran suicides.
Ducey also signed SB1802 which establishes the date every August when Arizonans will recognize National Navajo Code Talkers Day.
Among those getting the word out to veterans is Col. Wanda Wright, director of the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services (ADVS).
“This budget is a real win for Arizona Veterans,” Wright posted to the ADVS website. “It further proves that here in Arizona, we honor and support service members, Veterans and their families.”

https://azfreenews.com/2021/07/governors-office-reminds-military-veterans-of-new-pension-exemption/

Tax Relief for Arizona Veterans called for by Governor Ducey

Governor Ducey Calls For Tax Relief For Arizona Veterans

PHOENIX — In his State of the State address Monday, Governor Ducey called for letting Arizona veterans keep more of the benefits they earned.

“Arizona has more than 600,000 veterans, and for the military retirees who qaulify for the exemption, inflation alone has chopped it in half. Their service has earned them a lifetime benefit from our nation. So please, send me a bill that increases the exemption and demonstrates to our vets that we value this service.”

Since 1989, Arizona has provided an exemption from state Individual Income Tax for the first $2,500 in military retirement pay received by a retired service member. Unfortunately, for the 52,000 retired military personnel living in Arizona, inflation alone has reduced the value of that exemption by more than half.

Governor Ducey’s Executive Budget will include an increase in the level of the military retirement pay exemption from $2,500 to $10,000, phased in over the next two tax years. The increased exemption, representing approximately $15 million in tax relief for veterans when fully phased in, is expected to save an Arizona retired service member more than $280 in state income taxes annually. Under the plan, it will be phased in over two years.

*State Veterans Legislative Update1 February 2017: SB 1444: Income Tax Subtraction; Military Retirement

Arizona SB 1444 is being sponsored by Senator Gail Griffin along with 15 other Senate and House of Representative Co-Sponsors. SB 1444 will increase the income tax exemption for Military retirees from the current $2500 to $12,500, then to $25,000 and then exempt all Military retiree pay beginning in 2022. This will be an incentive for them to choose Arizona as the place to retire and begin their new careers. While this Bill addresses reducing state income tax for Military Retirees it will, in part, be replaced with sales tax for the cars, property taxes on homes and so on that they will spend their money on. A draft copy of the bill is attached for your use.

Please consider sending the draft message at the end of this Email to all Arizona State Senators and Representatives ASAP to give them a heads up on this draft Bill and encourage their support.

Guidance for processing and sending your Email(s)

When you are ready to send the Message at the end of this text to all State Legislators, copy the Draft Message at the end of this update and paste it as the text of a new Email the way you usually prepare to send an Email, and add your name after “Respectfully”.

Then come back here and copy: ‘ SB 1444: Income Tax Subtraction; Military Retirement ‘ and paste it as the subject of your new Email

Then come back here and copy one of the group of Email addresses of all Arizona State Senators shown below and paste it on the Bcc: line of your new Email

Then hit Send to send your new Email

Then repeat this process to send the message to all members of the House of Representatives

Email addresses with Semi-colons for members of the Arizona Senate:

Senate addresses with comas:

Email addresses with Semi-colons for members of the Arizona House of Representatives:

House of Representatives addresses with comas:

Draft Message

______________________________________________________________________________

Dear Legislator,

As an Arizona Veteran, I encourage you to Co-Sponsor and/or support Senator Gail Griffin and some 15 other members of the Senate and House of Representative who are co-sponsoring the attached SB 1444: Income Tax Subtraction; Military Retirement.

SB 1444 will make Arizona an even more most Military Friendly State in the Nation! It will increase the income tax exemption for Military retirees over the years and eventually eliminate all Military Retirement pay from taxation by the State of Arizona. This proposal will draw 40ish year old Military Retirees to Arizona. These retirees have proven records, have diverse skills, are well-educated, and will be a huge asset to Arizona if we can incentivize them to make this their home. While this proposal will reduce state income tax paid by Military retirees, that will in part be replaced with sales tax for the cars, sales taxes and property taxes on homes, and other things that they will spend their retirement and second career pay on. Please join Senator Griffin and the 15 other members of the Senate and House of Representative in supporting this Bill.

Respectfully,

Protected: Legislative Update 27 January 2017: Arlington Cemetery Eligibility Changes Coming?

*State Veterans Legislative Update: 7 May 2016: Thank You – Thank You

With the sponsor being unable to muster up enough votes to pass SB 1316 S/E, it was not placed on the Senate agenda during the final session that ran about 20 hours ending at 0545 this morning.

Please consider sending the draft message at the end of this Email to thank all Arizona State Senators and Representatives who were prepared to vote against the bill had it come up in a last ditch effort to pass it, with some comments for those who supported it.

Email addresses with Semi-colons for members of the Arizona Senate:

Senate Addresses With Commas:

Email addresses with Semi-colons for members of the Arizona House of Representatives:

House Addresses With Commas:

You might want to print this Email now to have the instructions below
available to facilitate using this process.
Guidance for processing and sending your Email(s).

When you are ready to forward the Message at the end of this text to all State Legislators:

1. Click on “Forward” from this message. (Note: Clicking on “Forward” does not send the message. It only sets it up to complete the processes below before hitting “Send”).
2. Then delete all of the Subject line in your new message except for: ‘Thank You – Thank You ‘
3. Edit the message that appears just below the blue line below if desired, and enter your name (and retired Rank if you are a Military Retiree) after the word ‘Respectfully’. Enter your address if desired, but that might tend to make some Legislators or their staff to delete your message before they read it if you are not a constituent. Consider just adding something like ”Concerned Arizona Veteran” or other phrase of your choosing after your name. If you are a constituent of one of the Legislators, in addition to sending this Email to all of them, please consider calling their offices with your concerns. Go to or click on www.azleg.gov here. At that site, click on ‘Senate’ or ‘House’ and then on ‘Members’ on the drop down menu) to find their phone numbers.
4. Copy the above Email addresses with Semi-colons (e.g., high light the addresses of all 30 Senators and then hit ‘Ctrl’ and ‘C’ simultaneously), and paste it on the Bcc: line (put your cursor on the Bcc: line of your new message and then hit ‘Ctrl’ and ‘V’ simultaneously. Then repeat the process in the same message or in a separate message for the State Representatives
NOTE:
If you have problems with your system not allowing so many address at one time, break the groups down into two or more groups for use in sending the messages.
And if your system rejects the use of Semi-colons separating the addresses, follow the above process using the groups of addresses separated by Commas as shown above.
5. Now High Light the blue line shown below (place your curser just below the blue line) press down and sweep upward across everything above it.
6. Then hit “Delete” on your keyboard . That will leave just the Draft Message and your name that now appears below the blue line as the text of your new Email.
7. Then when you feel comfortable that you have completed all the steps correctly, and have added your name at the end of the message, you can hit “Send” to send your Email.

Draft Message

Dear State Legislator,

Many thanks to all of you who were prepared to vote against predatory lending Bill SB 1316 S/E had it been placed on an agenda during the marathon Legislative session that lasted some 20 Hours, ending at about 5:45 AM on 7 May.

Many of us are still curious as to why so many of you, who were planning to vote for this Bill, have been so reluctant to speak out in support of it and were planning to vote for it along party lines instead of voting you conscience and what’s best for Arizona.

And we wonder what the motives were for the major proponents of the Bill that would have resulted in the kind of new business or free enterprise (as espoused by some) that Arizona that does not need. And it certainly was not what their constituents and Arizona residents wanted. They lost the battle last year, and now again this year (under a new name). And we will be prepared to oppose any similar effort by the lending industry and lobbyists should that happen in the future.

Respectfully,

*State Veterans Legislative Update: 3 May 2016

An amendment to SB 1316 S/E has been introduced as a last ditch effort by the sponsor and predatory lending industry get it through the Senate. Without advanced notice it is being voted on in the Senate this afternoon. If it passes in the Senate, it will then go to the House for a final vote

Please consider sending the draft message at the end of this Email to all Arizona State Senators and Representatives today to give all Senators (if it is not too late) and to the House to give them a heads up as to what is really happening on this issue.

NOTE: The draft message has a the very long internet link : http://www.calculator.net/amortization-calculator.html?cloanamount=2500&cloanterm=1.5&cinterestrate=156&printit=0&x=70&y=13 that may appear in two parts in a reduced screen view as it may also appear in your view now. So be advised that it is one continuous link with no spaces. You can click on any portion of the link

Email addresses with Semi-colons for members of the Arizona Senate:

Senate Addresses With Commas:

Email addresses with Semi-colons for members of the Arizona House of Representatives:

You might want to print this Email now to have the instructions below

available to facilitate using this process.

Guidance for processing and sending your Email(s).

When you are ready to forward the Message at the end of this text to all State Legislators:

Click on “Forward”from this message. (Note: Clicking on “Forward” does not send the message. It only sets it up to complete the processes below before hitting “Send”).
Then delete all of the Subject line in your new message except for: Here’s my View‘.
Edit the message that appears just below the blue line below if desired, and enter your name (and retired Rank if you are a Military Retiree) after the word ‘Respectfully‘. Enter your address if desired, but that might tend to make some Legislators or their staff to delete your message before they read it if you are not a constituent. Consider just adding something like ”Concerned Arizona Veteran” or other phrase of your choosing after your name. If you are a constituent of one of the Legislators, in addition to sending this Email to all of them, please consider calling their offices with your concerns. Go to or click on www.azleg.govhere. At that site, click on ‘Senate’ or ‘House’ and then on ‘Members’ on the drop down menu) to find their phone numbers.
Copy the above Email addresses with Semi-colons (e.g., high light the addresses of all 30 Senators and then hit ‘Ctrl’ and ‘C’ simultaneously), and paste it on the Bcc: line (put your cursor on the Bcc:line of your new message and then hit ‘Ctrl’ and ‘V’ simultaneously. Then repeat the process in the same message or in a separate message for the State Representatives

NOTE:

If you have problems with your system not allowing so many address at one time, break the groups down into two or more groups for use in sending the messages.

And if your system rejects the use of Semi-colons separating the addresses, follow the above process using the groups of addresses separated by Commas as shown above.

Now High Light the blue line shown below (place your curser just below the blue line) press down and sweep upward acrosseverything above it.
Then hit “Delete” on your keyboard . That will leave just the Draft Messageand your name that now appears below the blue line as the text of your new Email.
7.Then when you feel comfortable that you have completed all the steps correctly, and have added your nameat the end of the message, you can hit “Send” to send your Email.

Draft Message

Dear State Legislator,

Again, it’s time to listen to your constituents and Arizona voters who put an end to predatory lending in 2008, and ask yourself why you are planning to vote for the SB1316 S/E amendment if that is what you are planning to do. And kudos to you if you are planning to vote against that amendment. Here are the reasons why I am asking for your vote against the amendment, and encouraging you to ask your colleagues to do the same.

The amendment to the SB 1316 S/E predatory lending Bill is merely a token effort to influence some who have been opposed to SB 1316 S/E to now consider supporting it. Changing the term for a loan from 24 months to 18 months and reducing the interest rate by a mere 2% per month, from 17% per month to 15% per month (180% APR) on an unsecured loan and from15% to 13% per month (156% APR) on a secured loan results in interest payments over the term of the loans that are still unconscionable. That, for example, is nearly $4900 interest on an unsecured $2500 loan at 180% APR.

The amendment also calls for a ten million dollar fund to be collected from lenders over 10 years. That money would benevolently provide a ‘Community Development Service Fund’ that the Governor’s “Office for Children, Youth and Families” would draw upon for grants to eligible charitable organizations. The grants would be available to provide low interest or zero-interest loans, emergency funds, credit counseling, etc. However, the amendment does not specify the amount of each company’s annual profits that they would be assessed, nor does it specify any minimum amount they would have to pay annually. It appears to be merely a veiled attempt to gain support for this Bill from charitable organizations (which won’t happen). And even at a ten million cap across all lenders over ten years, it would be a mere drop in the bucket of the predatory lending industry’s expectations of millions of dollars in profits annually from loans to Arizona’s financially distressed. This is all unconscionable, and shows how desperate the usurious predatory lending industry is to get a foothold in Arizona. It’s disturbing to see those who are the major proponents being as adamant as they are about this issue.

This all makes one wonder why those who have been supporting SB 1316 S/El have been doing so, and “Because it’s the right thing to do” is not the correct answer. It also makes one curious as to why so many who are currently planning to vote for this bill have been so reluctant to speak out in support for the Bill,. Please vote your conscience and don’t let your name appear as one of those supporters of this predatory lending Bill amendment.

Please follow the lead of Senator Kinberly Yee and Senator Gail Griffin and Republican and Democrat colleagues in nonpartisan opposition to the SB 1316 S/E amendment, and encourage your colleagues to do the same.

To enable you to see first hand the usurious nature of these loans, below is a link where you can quickly and easily produce a ‘Monthly Amortization Schedule’ for any sized loan offered under this proposed amendment to SB 1316 S/E. They will all show that the total of the payments under the terms of this Bill will be nearly three times the amount of any size unsecured loan. Click on this link or copy and paste this link in your browser:

http://www.calculator.net/amortization-calculator.html?cloanamount=2500&cloanterm=1.5&cinterestrate=156&printit=0&x=70&y=13

At that site, enter the “Loan Amount”, e.g., $2500; the “Loan Term” in years, e.g., 1.5, and the “Interest Rate (APR)”, e.g., !80% APR (15% interest per month times 12 months) for an unsecured loan. Then click on “Calculate” to see the “Monthly Pay”, e.g., the $407.97 monthly payment (that remains constant over the term of the loan) shown in the upper right hand corner of the screen. And at the location you will also see the “Total of 18 Loan Payments”, e. g., $7,343.38, and the “Total Interest” paid over the term of the loan, e.g., $4,843.38. Then scroll down to see the “Monthly Amortization Schedule” where you will see the monthly details, including the minimal first month principle payment that will have been automatically determined to be $32.97 vs. the $10.05 that you may recall (or can calculate at this link) was determined for a $2500 loan over 24 months at 17% interest per month (204% APR) that was authorized in the original Bill. And as usual, these disturbing details are not revealed in the text of amendment.

Respectfully,

MOAA CORONADO – MOAA 5 STAR LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE AWARD AND FIVE STAR COMMUNICATIONS AWARD FOR 2023

Sierra Vista, Arizona

Category Archives: State Legislative Updates

Veteran’s Pension Fully Exempt from State Income Tax

Tax Relief for Arizona Veterans called for by Governor Ducey

*State Veterans Legislative Update1 February 2017: SB 1444: Income Tax Subtraction; Military Retirement

Protected: Legislative Update 27 January 2017: Arlington Cemetery Eligibility Changes Coming?

*State Veterans Legislative Update: 7 May 2016: Thank You – Thank You

*State Veterans Legislative Update: 3 May 2016