Category Archives: Finances

The Non-Dependent State of Alaska

When the founding fathers formed the United States, the citizens of this great land believed that a person reached out a hand to welcome others, reached out a hand to offer a hand up, or reached out a hand to accept a hand up. Today, we hear about a person, group, community, or state that is looking into other peoples’ pockets and waiting expectantly for a hand out. Today, when organizing an economic development team, our communities first hire a lobbyist and a grant writer to solicit the peoples’ money instead of hiring a business person to finance and develop the project using their own money. Today’s method is not ethical or sustainable. We see ever increasing government “creep”, overreaching regulation and unending fiscal crises.

The following proposal is designed to protect the State of Alaska by building automatic discipline into government budgets within the State of Alaska.

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Alaska’s version of Prop 13

Economic development, growth and government efficiency are key goals of most boroughs and municipalities in Alaska including those that levy a property tax.

The premise of this white paper is that the current practice within the state to annually assess property tax on the full and true value of real property and improvements is a disincentive to economic development and community growth due to increased costs of ownership. It is an expensive use of government manpower, adds a subjective element (assessment) into the taxation process, and there are more efficient ways to value and tax property.

PDR Alaska proposes that property be taxed “As-Was”, or in other words, at the price when title last changed hands. -MORE-