Alcohol tax makes sense

Ballots in Tuesday’s Mat- Su Borough and city elections will look quite different, depending on where you live. There are city council elections for residents of Houston, Wasilla and Palmer, and a mayoral election in Palmer, too.

Two borough assembly seats, representing greater Palmer and the Sutton-Butte-Chickaloon area, will likewise be decided by folks living in those areas.

Common to all ballots will be elections for three open seats on the school board, which, unlike the borough assembly, does not have districted representation.

Also common to all ballots will be a question that has the potential to offer great benefit to the physical and financial health and wellbeing of the borough and its residents. Ballot Proposition B-1 asks borough residents to approve an ordinance that will allow a sales tax on alcohol not to exceed 5 percent.

Detailed arguments for and against this measure appear on page A-7 of this print edition of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, as well as under the Opinion tab on frontiersman.com. We encourage everyone to read them and make the most informed decision they can about this important matter.

But the path forward is clear to us. While nobody likes taxes, this is a tax that is easy to live with and one that will bring benefit to everyone who lives here.

First and foremost, we are long overdue for diversification of our tax base. At present, the tax burden falls almost exclusively on property owners.

We do not quibble with the need for property taxes or the modest rate at which property is taxed here relative to most places in the Lower 48. But property owners should not have to foot the bill for everyone.

Although the proposition’s language is inexact, the main beneficiaries of the alcohol tax stand to be education and emergency services. These are important, quality of life-enhancing things that return value, directly and indirectly, to all residents.

It is noteworthy that there is no vocal opposition to the measure within the borough. Even the most anti-tax mayor and borough assembly in recent memory support the alcohol tax. So does Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.

Recent polling by the Mat-Su Health Foundation also found that a majority of borough residents favor the tax.

So we caution people to listen carefully to those organized to oppose Prop B-1. They come from the alcohol industry, and they come from outside this community. Their opposition is most definitely not motivated by what’s best for residents of the Mat-Su.

On Tuesday, we urge everyone to support Proposition B-1. It makes good sense for all of us.