Albuquerque Council to Consider Transportation “Tax Increase”

While it has been little-reported in the press, at its meeting on Wednesday the 18th of February, the Albuquerque City Council will be discussing a ¼th cent “tax increase.” The bill which numbered and called “Transportation Infrastructure (O-08-63)” would extend the ¼ cent Gross Receipts Tax surcharge , which is set to expire in a few months, for an additional 6 months.
While an additional 6 months may not seem like a very big deal to some, the fact is that voters only narrowly approved the ¼ cent “temporary” tax back in 1999. Of course, once government gets a hold of a new source of taxpayer money, they are loathe to give it up, so it certainly appears that supporters of this effort are planning to make the tax permanent without going to the voters. Passing a six-month extension at a time of tremendous economic difficulty and without going to the voters would seem to be simply the first step in that direction.
If you can’t attend the meeting on Wednesday and tell your councilors what you think, get in contact with them here.