December 03, 2012
Monday PM

Mike Fay was stunned last year when he got his tax bill for a waterfront home valued at over $170,000. Why? He had to pay almost $1000. He complains that there are no schools, way up there. That is true, also there are no students; but nonetheless the State of Alaska requires the Borough to pay almost $500 toward funding schools for his property. And the Borough pays every cent of his taxes to support schools, and then some.

He also complains that he has to pay more and more every year [which means that his property value is going up every year]. It is again the State of Alaska that requires the borough to assess the property at full market value.

What I find ironic, is here is a man who works for the National Geographic, a beautiful yellow journalism magazine, with an ethically challenged editorial policy. [Do you all remember that great distorted picture of the clear cut in the Tongass National Forest only problem was it was a picture of a clear cut on private property.]

So his employer has been one of many groups instrumental in shutting down the National Forest; and by doing so limiting the tax base for our community. And now he is complaining about High Taxes.

Maybe he should consider moving to California, where the folks voted to cap property taxes. Oh, wait a minute, there he would have to pay almost $2,000 for his property oh, never mind.

He says that you see it everywhere, ... if you can just keep spending and raising taxes you will as a bureaucrat.

Instead of complaining, he ought to call and thank Glen Thompson, Agnes Moran, Mike Painter and the other Borough Assembly members who keep LOWERING property taxes.

John Harrington
Ketchikan, AK

About: "Another property tax payer for wilderness property"

Received December 03, 2012 - Published December 03, 2012

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