City Taxes
Dear Editor: Taxing ourselves to prosperity is pseudo logic. Sitka needs more affordable housing; so, let’s raise taxes.
What’s wrong here?
R. Spike Arnold, Sitka
Vote No Oct. 4
Dear Editor: Just say no to the Assembly. Just say no to the city administrator. Just say no to the finance director. Just say no to the Grand Bamboozle. Vote NO on Oct. 4 to the deletion of the only control you as a voter have on these people.
Joe Garrison and the citizens of Sitka worked very hard to rein in the frivolous spending of our administrator and Assembly. You have repeatedly told them by your voting you don’t want the tax cap raised or deleted. Have they listened? NO! Now once again in their arrogance they want to go against the wishes of the people they are supposed to represent. Tell them you are unhappy with them at the next Assembly meeting Sept. 13.
This time their scheme to con you into deleting the tax cap is to bribe you with removal of the sales tax on groceries. Bad trade for many reasons:
1) They can put the tax back on groceries in 2 meetings.
2) It is a small amount of money compared to the increase in property tax dollars and rent increase.
3) When the Alaska state sales tax is passed you will pay taxes on groceries no matter what the city says.
4) There is no going back to 6 mils when they go back on their word.
5) Tax exemption is only on selected items, not everything you can buy in a grocery store.
Mark Gorman said in Thursday’s paper there is a $2.5 million shortfall. No we are not short, Mark. Just dip into the $98 million you have in the bank and everything will be fine. Believe it or not the city has many millions of dollars in the bank but would rather tax you voters.
How about revising the sales tax code? That doesn’t take a vote of the citizens. Or would that offend some of the high rollers making money off the many exemptions.
All you voters really need to know is vote NO on Oct. 4.
Bill Marx, Sitka
P.S.: Would you believe the administrator and Assembly already are planning to build another dam with your money. Guess they haven’t learned anything from the last $160,000,000 they overspent.
