Rather than touting the fact that Anchorage does not have a sales tax, the ProjectAnchorage.com folks have chosen to make it a negative in hopes that we all see it the same way.
When looking to relocate some 34 years ago, I paid attention to costs like sales tax and state tax. There is no doubt in my mind that we badly need a state tax, but ask yourself if you want to go down the 3% sales tax rabbit hole. Once there, it will never be enough. In essence, we already pay a sales tax. It’s folded into what we pay at the register. Businesses are not going to lose money over us.
Look at our 5% alcohol tax, which was meant for mental health and homelessness. I personally have not seen an appreciable difference in what that tax was aimed to do, yet they continue to collect it. Where is that money going? What are they doing with it? Are they putting it in a big piggy bank until they think they have enough? Judging by the lines at the Costco liquor department, I’d say we should see something any day now.
I urge all of you to think very carefully about a sales tax and what is going to be taxed. Who or what entity will make that determination?
— Judie Wolfe
Anchorage
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