A Las Cruces legislator has introduced a bill to make sure local gross receipts tax money is NOT used to pay for operations at Spaceport America.
Senator Lee Cotter of Las Cruces says 739 thousand dollars was diverted last year in a way voters did not intend.
Senator Cotter has a bill that would no longer allow gross receipts tax dollars in Dona Ana and Sierra Counties from being diverted to pay for the general operation of the Spaceport rather than repaying Spaceport construction debt as originally intended.
Cotter says voters in Dona Ana and Sierra Counties supported an increase in the gross receipts tax rate to go toward repaying the debt for Spaceport construction over 20 years. Last year, Senator Cotter says more was raised in taxes than needed to pay the debt for that year. Instead of saving the excess tax dollars for this year’s debt payment or paying down the debt faster, Cotter says the $739,000 in taxes was diverted to pay for the general operation of the Spaceport.