Ulmer v. Alaska Restaurant & Beverage Ass'n

OPINION

CARPENETI, Justice.

I, INTRODUCTION

In 1999 Lieutenant Governor Fran Ulmer certified and prepared an initiative petition to increase the statutory excise tax on alcoholic beverages. Shortly thereafter, the Alaska Restaurant and Beverage Association, the Alaska Cabaret, Hotel, Restaurant and Retailers Association, and the Alaska Wine and Spirit Wholesalers Association (collectively "ARBA") 1 challenged the petition, claiming it was unconstitutional and that the petition summary was legally defective because it did not include the amount of the tax increase and it implied that the tax…