Sen. Mia Costello, R-Anchorage, left, watches as colleague Sen. Lesil McGuire, right, discusses the state's tax credit program for oil companies during a Senate Majority news conference on Monday, April 11, 2016, in Juneau, Alaska. A planned Sunday vote on a bill that is designed to gradually reduce the $825 million in credits to companies with no tax liabilities stalled on the House floor. Republican House majority members have delayed committee meetings Monday as they meet to hammer out a consensus on House Bill 247. (AP Photo/Rashah McChesney)

Sen. Mia Costello, R-Anchorage, left, watches as colleague Sen. Lesil McGuire, right, discusses the state's tax credit program for oil companies during a Senate Majority news conference on Monday, April 11, 2016, in Juneau, Alaska. A planned Sunday vote on a bill that is designed to gradually reduce the $825 million in credits to companies with no tax liabilities stalled on the House floor. Republican House majority members have delayed committee meetings Monday as they meet to hammer out a consensus on House Bill 247. (AP Photo/Rashah McChesney)

Walker not sure legislators can wrap fiscal work by Sunday

JUNEAU — Gov. Bill Walker said Tuesday that as much of an optimist as he is, he doesn’t see state legislators wrapping up work on all the pieces needed for a fiscal plan by the scheduled end of the regular legislative session Sunday.

Walker wants lawmakers to approve a fiscal package to help dig the state out of a multibillion-dollar budget deficit exacerbated by low oil prices. He sees as key elements reduced state spending, a restructuring of Alaska Permanent Fund earnings and the dividend program, and new revenues that include a broad-based tax. He considers an income tax or a sales tax as a broad-based tax.

Walker and others have proposed reinstituting a personal state income tax, but a sales tax has not been proposed.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Senate President Kevin Meyer, R-Anchorage, said in a recent interview that he thought that for most in the Senate a state sales or personal income tax would be a last resort.

Walker said that when he began looking at ways to fill the deficit, he didn’t have much appetite for some of the options either. “But that didn’t mean I didn’t have to delve into it because it was fiscally responsible,” he said. “I don’t have an appetite for continuing on not knowing how we’re going to fund government after we run out of savings.”

The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday made what co-chair Sen. Anna MacKinnon called a huge step forward in proposing a structured annual draw from permanent fund earnings and a dividend of $1,000 each of the next three fiscal years. House Finance rolled out its own version of that bill later in the day.

The proposal, a melding of ideas from bills proposed by Walker and lawmakers, calls for annual draw from fund earnings equal to 5.25 percent of the average market value of the fund for the first five of the preceding six fiscal years. Under a new calculation, the dividend would be funded with a portion of that and an amount equal to 20 percent of prior year resource royalties.

MacKinnon, R-Eagle River, called it the Senate’s best proposal at this time to close the budget gap “and to not impact individual Alaskans with taxes.” It doesn’t solve all of Alaska’s problems but goes a long toward stabilizing the state’s future, she said.

State Revenue Commissioner Randall Hoffbeck also saw the draft rewrite as a big step, but he said it’s not everything the administration needs in order to be satisfied with the session.

Renovation work is expected to begin on the state Capitol on Monday. If there needs to be a special session, Walker said he’ll see what lawmakers’ preference is for a location. He said the site isn’t as important to him as the work that is done.

Walker introduced a suite of bills that he said would put the state on a path to no longer needing to draw down savings to cover costs by fiscal year 2019. If a piece of that plan is scuttled, he wants something put in its place that would have a similar fiscal impact.

One of the issues legislators have been wrestling with is how far to push changes to the state’s oil and gas tax credit structure. The House planned to consider amendments to its rewrite of Walker’s bill late Tuesday, after previous delays in floor action. The Senate Resources Committee, meanwhile, unveiled a rewrite of its own this week that would phase out credits for Cook Inlet and impose no tax on Cook Inlet oil and gas production starting in 2018.

Oil and gas industry representatives expressed concern with the Senate Resources’ draft rewrite. Kara Moriarty, president and CEO of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, said the loss of credits even without a production tax would have an impact. The state Revenue department says production tax on oil from Cook Inlet fields currently is zero.

More in News

Member Tom Tougas, far right, speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Tourism Industry Working Group in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Tourism working group rejects bed tax, recommends seasonal sales tax adjustment

The document includes a section that says the borough could alternatively leave its tax structure exactly as it is.

The rescued sea otter pup looks at the camera in this undated picture, provided by the Alaska SeaLife Center. (Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center)
Stranded otter pup rescued from Homer beach

She is estimated to be around 2 months old and was found alone by concerned beach walkers.

Kenai Peninsula College Director Cheryl Siemers speaks to graduates during the 55th commencement ceremony at Kachemak Bay Campus on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Kenai Peninsula College leadership sees temporary transitions

KPC Director Cheryl Siemers is serving as interim UAA chancellor, while former KBC director Reid Brewer fills in her role.

Ash-Lee Waddell (center) of Homer is one of six recipients of the 2025 First Lady’s Volunteer Award at the Governor’s Residence in Juneau, Alaska, on May 13, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Office of the Governor
First lady honors Alaska volunteers

Volunteers from Homer and Nikiski were recognized.

The front of the Kenai Police Department as seen on Dec. 10, 2019. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Update: Middle schooler reported missing found after 24-hour search

The student was seen leaving Kenai Middle School at around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The Oceania Riviera stands out against a bluebird sky at the Homer Harbor on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Over 1200 passengers from aboard the boat explored Homer throughout the beautiful day. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)
Homer tourism season kicks off with arrival of cruise ships

The first cruise ship of the season arrived April 28 with 930 passengers.

tease
‘Tomorrow — remember you are still a learner’

Kachemak Bay Campus graduated 49 students during its 55th annual commencement hosted on May 7.

Mt. Redoubt rises above Cook Inlet and the Anchor River drainage as fireweed is in bloom, as seen from Diamond Ridge Road on Friday, July 22, 2022, near Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Native plants provide lifeline for local songbirds

Shorebird Festival talk highlights importance of native plants.

Sterling Elementary School students collect trash from the banks of the Kenai River near Bing’s Landing in Sterling, Alaska, during the 10th Annual Kenai River Spring Cleanup on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Cleaning up the mess that’s left behind

Students from six local schools combed for litter during the 10th Annual Kenai River Spring Cleanup.

Most Read