Now the Municipality of Anchorage wants to implement a tax to replace aging vehicles and again have only property owners pay. When is this one source of taxation going to end?
We complain about higher rents being a problem. Quit taxing just the property owners and landlords can hold their rents down, otherwise they have to continue to raise rents to survive. We need a 3% sales tax with at least 75% going to reduce property taxes and use the other 25% to help our city with new vehicles, snow removal, police, whatever, then everyone will have skin in the game. Landlords will also have to pay this 3% so they will be paying it along with everyone else, but it will diversify our system, and not signal out one sector. It will also not raise taxes but reallocate them as it will go to reducing property taxes and financing other city needs, not giving the city more money to spend. It’s the same pot of money, only giving direction as how it is to be spent, 75% to reduce property taxes and 25% to other city needs.
We are the only major city in Alaska not charging a sales tax, so guess what the other cities and tourists do, come and use our infrastructure and pay nothing. Will we ever wise up?
— Greg Svendsen, Anchorage
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