Sitka's sales tax drops a point Oct. 1, the one that funds schools

Sitka's sales tax drops a point on Oct. 1, from 6 percent to 5, where it stays through the end of March.

The point that falls away in winter is, in effect, the schools' point. Sitka's code dedicates that extra summer penny specifically to school buildings, maintaining them, repairing them, replacing them, or paying off the debt on that work. So the higher rate visitors and residents pay through the busy summer months is what helps keep the town's schools standing, and it comes off once the season winds down.

A few things don't change. The tax on short-term lodging stays at 6 percent year-round. And residents 65 and older with a certificate pay no sales tax at all.

The savings have a limit. Sitka only taxes the first $12,000 of any single sale, so the one-point drop is worth at most $120 on a single purchase. The change applies across the borough, to stores, restaurants and service providers alike, and even to out-of-state sellers shipping into Sitka.