Revenues collected from the proposed general sales tax are to be substituted for property taxes. The issue of a general sales tax requires serious consideration and debate before we go to the polls. These questions need to be answered expeditiously if we are to cast an informed vote on April 3. And apparently, since bond issues translate directly into increases in taxes, they don't mind paying for them. If Anchorage is to meet the bona fide needs and demands of its citizens, it will have to find ways to generate additional revenue, but there are significant challenges to doing so.
Many property owners feel they already are carrying too much of the tax burden.
Economic growth in the next few years is uncertain. A 60 percent super-majority is required to impose any sales tax. The municipal tax cap limits the amount of tax revenues that can be collected in any given year. Increases in the amount spent on tax-supported services are limited, too. These are substantive impediments to Anchorage's ability to grow and mature as a world-class city.