Alaska House Coalition - 2023 Constituent Survey

Dear friends and neighbors,

As the Legislature works to address Alaska’s structural deficit and implement a fiscal plan, the Alaska House Coalition wants to hear your thoughts, priorities, and ideas.

Please take a few minutes to complete our brief survey.

* Name

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* Email:

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* Address:

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House District:

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Find your legislator: https://myreps.datamade.us/

* Would you like to receive an email newsletter from your legislators?

Yes

The Fiscal Reality of Alaska’s Budget

Big declines in Alaska oil production over the last 30 years and wildly fluctuating oil prices have combined to slash the State of Alaska’s oil revenues, triggering substantial budget cuts over the last decade. The State of Alaska added substantial new revenues in 2018 by starting a system in which the state spends a sustainable amount of Permanent Fund earnings each year to pay for the budget. That new system created in 2018 allows the state to spend only 5 percent of the market value of the Permanent Fund. Even with these additional revenues from that Percent of Market Value (“POMV”) draw, oil revenues are still so low compared to earlier times like the early 1980s that the state still faces difficult choices to pay for public services like roads and schools as well as Permanent Fund Dividends.

Fiscal Plan

We need your help! As the Legislature and Governor work through a fiscal plan, your input is essential to help our coalition represent the diverse views of our state and ensure that the Legislature’s fiscal plan meets the needs of Alaskans. Please take a few minutes to complete our brief constituent survey.

Balancing the state budget will require some combination of new revenues, changes to the Permanent Fund Dividend, and/or additional cuts to services.

Considering the following choices, what best reflects your position?

* The Permanent Fund Dividend formula

1982 Statutory Dividend - roughly $3,600 dividend, (costing $2.2 billion)

50/50 Percent of Market Value (POMV) - $2,700 PFD (costing $1.7 billion)

25/75 dividend - $1,350 PFD (costing $850 million)

25/75 dividend that would increase toward a 50/50 dividend if the state generates new revenue $1,350 to $2,700 dividend

Surplus Dividend (The money left after essential state services are funded) - $1,200 - $1,500 dividend

* New Revenues / taxes

Substantial new revenues to provide further investments in essential services

Moderate new revenues to keep existing services in line with inflation

Minor new revenues to flat fund services

No new taxes to require further draining of savings and/or additional cuts

* Budget Reductions

No additional budget cuts

Limited budget cuts

Moderate budget cuts

Substantial budget cuts

If you support cuts, where do you think the state should focus them?

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* In what areas of government should the Legislature prioritize funding?

Increasing K-12 education funding

Public safety

Pre-K and early education

The University of Alaska

Infrastructure and capital projects

Roads and road maintenance

The Permanent Fund Dividend

Teacher, first responder, and public employee retirement

Parks, trails, and recreation

Senior and disability services

Parks, trails, and recreation

Repaying State savings

Growing the Permanent Fund

Other

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Which of the following broad-based new revenues would you support?

Sales Tax (examples of exceptions for sales tax include: food, medicine, fuel, health care, and services)

Sales tax without exceptions

Sales tax with limited exceptions

Sales tax with broad exceptions

Seasonal sales tax

Income Tax

Flat income tax based on adjusted gross income

Graduated tax based on income bracket

Income tax only on high-earners

I would not support an income tax

* Which of the following new revenue proposals would you support?

Closing the S-Corp (Hilcorp) corporate tax loophole - $190 million

Motor fuels tax - $16-32 million

Cap per-barrel oil tax credits at $5, down from $8 - $586 million

Gaming and gambling tax - $88 million

Carbon Credits - $10 to 20 million

Highly digitized business tax - $45 million

Oil and gas production tax (SB114) - $1.3 billion

Increased petroleum property tax - $290 million

I do not support any of these measures

* Which of the following tax reductions, if any, would you support?

Reducing the corporate income tax - $330 million loss in revenue

Reducing oil and gas property tax - $291 million loss in revenue

Reducing oil and gas production tax

I do not support any tax reductions

None

* If we were to raise new revenue, through the options above, we should use the new revenue to:

Provide additional funding for public education: teachers, schools, recruitment, and retention.

Provide additional funding for public safety: Police, troopers, VPSOs, public defenders, and prosecutors.

Provide additional funding for infrastructure and capital projects

Provide additional funding for health care: mental health care, substance abuse treatment, and expanded postpartum care

Restore funding for the University of Alaska

Increase the Permanent Fund Dividend

Other

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* Would you support replacing the existing constitutional spending cap?

Yes

Other

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Education

* Currently there are various proposals to increase the Base Student Allocation (BSA) which funds Alaska’s schools. Of the following, which would you support?

Permanent BSA Increase of $1,250

Permanent BSA increase of $1,000

Permanent BSA Increase of $680

One-time education funding increase

No increase in education funding

* Do you believe the education funding formula (BSA) should be updated to automatically adjust for inflation?

Yes

Other

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* The University of Alaska has faced serious cuts since 2017. Of the following, which would you support?

Returning to pre-2017 level funding for the University system

Providing additional funding above pre-2017 levels

Remain at current funding

Further cuts to university funding

* Would you support a return to a defined benefit pension plan for educators, first responders, and public employees?

Yes

Other

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Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on these pressing issues facing our state. If you have additional comments, you can share them below.

Additional comments

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