Does the Albuquerque metro area need higher taxes? At least two jurisdictions seem to think so.
The City of Albuquerque is considering a three-eights hike in its GRT. It’s being pitched as way to direct more “resources” to “public safety” — but the ordinance admits that the revenue to be raised “will be used for general municipal purposes.”
Sandoval County’s commissioners are considering a two-sixteenths hike in its GRT, in order to find improvements to the county’s detention center.
As the chart above shows, if both proposed taxes are approved, the GRT will have been increased from a range of 35.5 percent (Albuquerque) to 10.9 percent (unincorporated Bernalillo County) since 2000.
The “winner” in this race to hike taxes? The small portion of Rio Rancho in Bernalillo County, which falls under the control of neither the City of Albuquerque nor Sandoval County. Its GRT will remain where it is — small comfort, given that its burden has risen by 29.3 percent since 2000.
Does Sandoval’s proposal use 2/16 instead of 1/8 to make it sound like less to constituents?
Promoting Albuquerque’s as “for public safety” but then admitting it is for general revenue it flat out misleading and assumes constituents don’t pay attention anyway.
Scoundrels!