Absentee Tusayan landlord Elling Halvorson will have to pay about $700,000 in back taxes to the state of Arizona. Halvorson tried to get out of paying up by filing a lawsuit. At issue is whether Papillon Air Tours should pay sales taxes for equipment it purchased and leased. Halvorson filed suit seeking to get out of the tax bill.

Halvorson even managed to get special legislation passed to sidestep the tax bill. Governor Ducey vetoed the bill but delayed collecting the taxes. After the Arizona Supreme Court ruled the tax was collectable, Governor Ducey authorized the Arizona Department of revenue to collect the back taxes which were racked up over a four year period ending in 2006.