Where the GRT Is Lightest

Fair’s fair. A few weeks ago, Errors of Enchantment looked at the communities that impose the highest gross receipts taxes in New Mexico. Now let’s examine where the levy hurts the least.

The unincorporated regions of the counties below impose the lightest GRT rates — 6.1250 percent or less. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the counties are all quite rural, so the benefits aren’t widespread.

Beyond the unincorporated-county level, the picture doesn’t get much brighter. Bonito Lake, owned by the City of Alamogordo, imposes a rate of 5.5000 percent. But the facility, damaged by the Little Bear Fire in 2012, won’t be reopened until 2018. Other jurisdictions of limited value to Joe and Jane Taxpayer include the Lovington Industrial Park (5.5000 percent), Socorro Industrial Park (6.0000 percent), and Clovis Municipal Airport (6.1250 percent).

At 7.3125 percent, the GRT rates in Albuquerque and Los Alamos are the lowest for New Mexico’s major municipalities. But tribal lands shouldn’t be overlooked — Kewa Pueblo (Sandoval County), the Jicarilla Apache Nation, Laguna Pueblo, Pueblo de Cochiti, Pueblo de San Ildefonso, Sandia Pueblo, and Santa Ana Pueblo all impose a rather forgiving rate of 6.2500 percent.