Native People’s Action
*VOTE YES ON BALLOT MEASURE ONE* - Why Voting Yes on Ballot Measure One Makes Sense For Alaska Ballot Measure [Read More...]
Harriet Drummond
"We have cut Alaska’s state budget drastically and continually over the last several years. There is nothing left to cut [Read More...]
Don Gray
"FOLLOW THE MONEY! Example >ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, BP & Hilcorp Alaska spent over $12million for anti-Ballot Measure #1 "No on" tv [Read More...]
Get the Facts
Under SB21 and existing law, our economy is suffering, our unemployment rate is the highest of any state, our essential services (such as education, health care, universities, senior services, the marine highway, rural power cost equalization, and public safety) are being cut, our local property and sales taxes are being increased, our capital budgets (that support Alaskan jobs and infrastructure) have been all but eliminated, our state’s credit ratings have been downgraded, our permanent fund dividends are being cut, and the permanent fund itself is at increasing risk.
Oil on state lands belongs to all Alaskans. Our Constitution requires Alaskans get the “maximum benefit” from the sale of our oil. Today, Alaskans are not getting a fair share of the oil revenues and, in fact, are getting a smaller share from our largest and most profitable legacy fields than ever before. The Fair Share Act is a bill proposed by Alaskans through initiative to amend existing law to restore Alaskans’ fair share from the sale of our oil from those legacy fields.
One-third of the gross revenues from the sale of our oil is a good standard to apply in determining if Alaskans are getting their fair share. Governor Hammond was a key architect of our economic relationship with the oil industry. He stated the original agreement was one-third to the state, one-third to the federal government, and one-third to the producers.
Historically, we have gotten 27 percent of the gross revenues from the sale of our oil. In 2004, when we were getting roughly 27 percent, Governor Hammond said Alaskans were being “shortchanged hundreds of millions of dollars” compared with the one-third “once agreed to be our ‘fair share.’” Before SB21 was passed, when the “ACES” tax was in place, Alaska received about 35 percent of the gross revenues.
Currently, Alaskans are getting less than 20 percent of the gross revenues from the sale of our oil, and the producers are getting almost 50 percent.
When Alaska’s current oil tax system, SB 21, passed its backers made four promises: More oil production, more jobs, more money in the Permanent Fund, and economic growth in Alaska. All four proved false: oil production has continued to decline, oil jobs have decreased, Permanent Fund Dividends have been cut, and budget cuts forced the state into a recession. Alaskans have the chance to fix this broken system and replace it with a system that is fair to Alaskans and producers both.
Jobs have been lost across Alaska’s economy due to the budget crisis caused by our broken oil tax system. Teachers, university staff, police, and firefighters have all lost their jobs through direct cuts and these cuts forced Alaska into an economic recession last year- long before the pandemic. Many more Alaskans have lost their jobs indirectly as critical services like the Alaska Marine Highway have been gutted and Alaska has not been able to fund a basic construction (capital) budget in years.
While Big Oil promised that our oil tax system would create jobs, it has completely failed. Oil and gas jobs have been cut over 30% – from 14500 to 9880. We gave up billions of dollars for that promise – billions that went out of state. We are better off keeping those billions of dollars in the state and supporting our economy here with more jobs.
Under our broken oil tax system state revenue plunged, savings were plundered, essential services cut and the PFD reduced. Now we could not balance our state budget even if we laid off every state employee. Even if there were no PFD next year, Alaska will still have a budget deficit. Ballot Measure 1 is the only revenue option that could raise revenue in the current fiscal year and passing it is critical to saving the dividend.
Thanks to our broken oil tax system, Alaska is facing a historic budget crisis that has already cost hundreds of Alaskans their jobs, devastated coastal communities through cuts to the Alaska Marine Highway, gutted the University of Alaska, and taken thousands of dollars from Alaskans’ PFDs. Unless we pass Ballot Measure 1, the Legislature will have no choice but to kill even more Alaskan jobs when they convene in January. Ballot Measure 1 is the only revenue option that can be implemented in time to save Alaskan jobs.
The biggest area of government waste is per barrel tax subsidies the oil companies receive from every single barrel the produce. Last year this cost Alaskans $1.2 billion, and Ballot Measure 1 eliminates them and reinstates our constitutional obligation to use our natural resources for the maximum benefit of our people.
Since SB21, Big Oil has paid $2.0 billion in production taxes and we have paid and owe them $2.1 billion in cashable credits. You want to count what they pay us without counting what we have paid and owe to them. As we speak, we still owe $770 million in cashable credits and are actually trying to borrow $800 million to pay what we still owe. Imagine–we are borrowing money to pay them to take our oil!!
Even without the cashable credits considered, we got $21 billion in production taxes the five years before SB21 or $4.2 billion per year, and only $2 billion the five years after SB21 or $0.4 billion per year! This is why we have a State deficit, PFDs are being cut, and we haven’t had a capital budget worth mentioning since SB21 passed. We are getting ripped off big time.
And, before you even start–the average price of oil only went down 35% and it was before the pandemic.
News from Alaska’s Fair Share
Yes On 1 Earns Anchorage Press Endorsement
Alaska's Largest Weekly Paper Says "Vote YES on Measure 1" FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 2, 2020 Contact: campaign manager David Dunsmore (907)278-8000 (headquarters) or (907)830-4288 (cell) Last week supporters of Ballot Measure1, Alaska's Fair Share [Read More...]
Questions and Answers
Q1 "You have made the statement that the passage of this ballot measure would create thousands of Alaskan jobs. Can you expand on this? I don’t understand what jobs would be created. Are [Read More...]
Yes On 1 Wins Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Endorsement
Alaska's Oldest Continuously Operating Daily Says "Yes on Ballot Measure 1" FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 1, 2020 Contact: campaign manager David Dunsmore (907)278-8000 (headquarters) or (907)830-4288 (cell) With two days left before polls close, supporters [Read More...]
In the News
With all the issues facing the State of Alaska, the Fair Share Act is still making headlines. Read in-depth articles, Opinion pages, and Letters to the Editor.
It’s Our Oil – It’s Our State
Today, Alaskans are not getting a fair share, and, in fact, are getting less of a share than ever before. This is because we are giving away $1.5-$2 billion per year in tax breaks for our largest and most profitable legacy fields! Learn MORE!
Oil on state lands belongs to all Alaskans. Our Constitution requires all Alaskans get the “maximum benefit” from the sale of our oil. For the past 40 years, our greatest Republican, Democrat, and Independent leaders have honored these principles and fought to ensure Alaskans get a fair share from the sale of our oil.