Friday night, Kodiak families are putting out milk and cookies for the tax fairy … Just kidding, but Kodiak has a unique holiday of its own on Saturday the 6th.
“No taxes are paid on this one special day. So way back in 2009, the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce reached out to the city to try and get a little bit of a tax break, to push an incentive for people to go out and be able to shop and make some of those big purchases,” said Sarah Phillips of the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce.
“And so luckily, the city agreed with us, and they have just let that become a standing tradition that the first Saturday in March is always a tax free holiday for the city of Kodiak. So, you know, typically, we charge that 7% sales tax on anything within city limits. And Saturday is the day that you don’t have to charge that 7%.”
Phillips is understandably excited. Many local vendors will be having big sales, trying to attract customers who might spend a bit more liberally than they would other times of the year. Fortunately, it’s not difficult to find these sales online.
“We actually have a Facebook page called Shop, Eat, Explore Kodiak. And all sorts of things have been posted over the last couple of weeks. So scroll through there, see all the sales you can take advantage of,” Phillips said.
For businesses, big shopping days like this are an important lifeline to make up revenue lost during the pandemic.
“We just want to make sure that everyone remembers; our businesses have had a really tough year this last year, they’ve dealt with constant changes and worrying about their finances and trying to keep their staff happy and healthy,” Phillips said.
Masks are no longer mandated in Kodiak businesses, but patrons are still subject to the house rules of each business.