Matanuska Susitana Borough Assemblyman Steve Colligan wants an area-wide alcohol tax to help fund Borough expenses.
Earlier this month, the Borough Assembly passed an ordinance sponsored by Colligan which will give Borough voters a chance to weigh in on the proposal during Borough elections in October.
“We only have one source of revenue, and that’s a property tax base, and I thought it would be worthwhile to put to the voters to decide whether the property tax owners should continue to bear that burden,” Colligan said. “In addition, the Mat-Su Health Foundation has done some extensive surveys and that in particular, alcohol and alcohol abuse and the like, are the number one item of concern with the community, and I thought it was worth putting forward to the voters to make a decision.”
Colligan says at the present time, real property taxes fund all the Borough's operating expenses.
The Mat-Su Health Foundation supports the proposed alcohol tax because of the high cost of dealing with alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse in the Mat-Su communities.
MSHF executive director Elizabeth Ripley says that excessive use of alcohol contributes to a wide range of health and social injuries.