Dan Coffey Lays an
EGG on HIS 3% Sales TAX!

In 2005. . .

Dan Coffey spent almost an entire year writing and rewriting a complicated proposal to impose a 3% sales tax on Anchorage consumers and retail businesses. Although riddled with exemptions and fine print, "Dan’s tax" would have benefited larger landowners by giving them some relief from real property taxes at the expense of ordinary homeowners. For renters, and senior citizens, however, the new 3% sales would hit even harder because many of them do not pay real property taxes anyway. Click here to see Dan’s ballot proposition calling for a vote on the new 3% tax.

But on February 24, 2006 . .

Under fire from Anchorage residents about the details of his new tax and criticized because the ordinance would provide "tax relief" only to the wealthy and punish renters and seniors, Dan flip flopped on his proposal, telling Assembly members his sales tax wasn’t ready for the ballot and even voted against his proposal. See details in Daily News article for February 14, 2006.

Post script: Dan couldn’t stop the stampede he started: Although he said his new 3% tax needed additional work before going to the voters, Anna Fairclough and a few others went ahead and put Dan’s sales tax on the 2006. Click here to see Anchorage Daily News article for February 15, 2006.  On election day, voters trashed the measure by a 2-1 margin.