Those landing in Ketchikan on cruise ships will pay more in passenger fees next year. The head tax has gone from $9 for those disembarking at the city dock, to $11 per passenger, and in 2025 the tax will go up again to $12. Instead of the $6 paid now for lightered passengers and private dock passengers, the tax will be $8 in 2024. The decision was made by the Ketchikan City Council.
Compared to Juneau, where passenger taxes are $5 plus a $3 port “fee,” it’s a bold move for the First City, a way of nickel-and-diming tourists, who see these various port fees and head taxes tacked onto their fares under the category of “port taxes and fees.”
At the same meeting, the city council approved doubling the number of pot shops within city limits from two to four — one pot shop for every 2,000 men, women, and children in the city.
The Ketchikan city staff recommended the increase because it will bring in more revenue to the city.
Between the two cannabis shops in the city and the two in the borough, there are four cannabis retailers in Ketchikan. There will soon be six for a population of 14,000 between the city and borough.
