Sales tax talk prompts protest

Posted by matsublog

Posted: July 23, 2009 - 7:04 pm

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More than 50 people turned out Tuesday in Wasilla to speak against putting a sales tax measure on the October Mat-Su Borough election ballot.
The three-percent sales tax proposal would also cap property taxes below where they are now and cut property assessments by $10,000. It’s not on the ballot yet – Mat-Su Assembly members postponed discussion on the measure until a special meeting set for 6 p.m. June 28 in Palmer.
The residents who spoke against the measure said they don’t want two types of tax – either sales tax or property tax, but not both, they said.
“Dr. Frankenborough wants to come along and replace that large leech that is sucking my lifeblood out of my wallet and replace it with two smaller leeches,” said James “Lazy Mountain Jim” Garhart.
Assembly members Cindy Bettine and Pete Houston sponsored the measure. At the meeting, both said they plan to make the measure revenue-neutral, meaning the borough will collect the same amount of money it currently does, and residents won’t be asked to pay more taxes than they currently do.
According to borough estimates, the average homeowner would see about $540 cut from his or her yearly property tax bill. But the same resident would pay about $600 each year in sales taxes, meaning he or she would pay about $60 more in taxes each year. Houston and Bettine said they plan to find a way to make that number even.
Check back here Wednesday to find out if the measure will be on the October ballot.

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