If you savor statistics, Juneau’s Economic Summit on Tourism was a feast. For those who like a little seasoning with their facts and figures, Skagway Street Car Company’s Steve Hites offered up plenty of salt, pepper and passion with his opening speech. Check it out at: http://www.ftffoundation.org/ Click on Economic Summit, then Presentations.

It’s gratifying to be able to showcase private sector activity in a mostly government town and important to show how government gets its share. From May to September 2008, forty ships made 600 port calls in Juneau. Once here, $167 million was spent: $140 million by passengers; $7 million by crew and $20 million by cruise lines. What’s worrisome is what happens next year when ships go elsewhere and spending drops to $142 million. That’s $200,000 less spending per day in a town of 31,000.

In 2008, over $42 million in sales tax revenue was collected by the City and Borough of Juneau. Of that $42 million, an estimated $8.6 million (20 percent) is directly attributable to visitors. Sales tax revenue from cruise lines and cruise passengers alone was $6.4 million. Unlike “head taxes” these sales tax revenues are unrestricted and can be spent on anything – schools, public safety, youth activities or capital projects.

Although tours sold on ships and cruise line commissions on those sales are not taxable, Juneau tour operators pay sales tax on the net tour price for any tour sold onboard. It’s true that most tours are sold on the ships but an increasing number of savvy travelers purchase excursions online directly from tour operators or at dockside vendor booths. 5 percent City sales tax is charged on online and dockside sales.

While crew members take shuttles to shop our big box stores, cruise lines make dozens of miscellaneous purchases – beer, fish, printer cartridges, sand for service dogs – all subject to sales tax. The ships’ agents take crew to dental and doctor appointments while radar technicians, copier repairmen and even the piano tuner make house calls on the ships.

Cruise lines buy water from Juneau for $3.35 per 1,000 gallons. Ships hold up to 200,000 gallons and every day, three to five ships purchase water and, yes, pay 5 percent sales tax on their fill-ups.

That’s just spending. Then there are the taxes and fees. To fund major maintenance and facility depreciation, Juneau charges ships a tonnage tax of 5 ½ cents per net ton per arrival plus 5 percent sales tax on top of the tonnage tax. A single 53,200 ton ship making nineteen calls will net the City over $58,000 in one season just on this single tax. With 40 ships, well, do the math.

Ships pay $3.00 per linear foot (of ship’s length) each time they tie up at a City dock. Those fees are subject to City sales tax. Owners of the private docks pay property tax, as do all owners of expensive South Franklin real estate. Property tax revenue attributable to the visitor industry totaled $2.1 million in 2008.

Then there’s the local $5.00 head tax Juneau charges to all passengers on a ship manifest whether they disembark or not. And finally, there’s a “port development fee” of $3.00 per passenger. All of the above-mentioned local taxes and fees are on top of the $50 statewide head tax enacted in 2006.

Cruise industry detractors have never suggested an immediate term alternative revenue-producer that delivers over 2000 direct local jobs and a $75 million payroll. I wonder if they’ll help us fill that $200,000 per day hole?