Anchorage pushes back on sales tax
Dozens of Anchorage residents testified against the proposed 3% sales tax during a lengthy Assembly hearing, citing cost-of-living pressures and concerns about how the tax would impact households across the city.
Daily Alaska staff · December 11, 2025 · Anchorage
Daily Alaska staff · December 11, 2025 · AnchorageAnchorage wasn’t buying the sales tax pitch.
More than 30 people packed into the Assembly hearing and pushed back hard on the mayor’s proposed three-percent tax. Folks from all over town lined up, worried about higher costs when groceries, housing, and winter bills are already stretching everyone thin.
The Assembly didn’t rush it either. After hours of testimony, they pushed the vote to mid-January, giving both sides time to regroup. Midtown, East Anchorage, and Southside residents all showed up with the same message — this isn’t the moment for a new tax.
January’s meeting just turned into a showdown.
Anchorage is bracing for that one.