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Fiscal Policy

8 articles

No Income Tax, No Free Lunch: The Hidden Costs of Alaska's Unconventional Fiscal Foundation

No Income Tax, No Free Lunch: The Hidden Costs of Alaska's Unconventional Fiscal Foundation

Alaska's celebrated status as one of only a handful of states with no income tax is frequently cited as a point of pride and a competitive advantage. But a closer examination of the state's revenue structure reveals a system that distributes its burdens and benefits in ways that rarely favor working Alaskans, rural communities, or the public services upon which they depend. The conversation about who actually pays—and who actually gains—in Alaska's fiscal arrangement is long overdue.

Ground Zero: How Melting Permafrost Is Turning Alaska's Infrastructure Into a Fiscal Time Bomb

Ground Zero: How Melting Permafrost Is Turning Alaska's Infrastructure Into a Fiscal Time Bomb

Across Alaska, roads are buckling, buildings are tilting, and utility lines are snapping—not from neglect, but from the ground itself giving way. As permafrost degradation accelerates, municipalities and state planners are confronting infrastructure repair bills that dwarf available budgets, forcing a reckoning over who pays and how priorities get set. The answers will define Alaska's fiscal landscape for a generation.

Degrees to Departure: The Economic Toll of Alaska's Vanishing Professional Class

Degrees to Departure: The Economic Toll of Alaska's Vanishing Professional Class

Alaska's universities are producing graduates who increasingly pack their diplomas and head south, drawn by salaries, career ladders, and professional networks that the state has yet to build. The consequences extend far beyond individual ambition—reaching into Alaska's tax base, its innovation capacity, and its long-term economic resilience. Understanding why they leave, and what it would take to keep them, may be among the most consequential policy questions the state faces this decade.

Crumbling Beneath Our Feet: Who Bears the Cost When Alaska's Ground Gives Way

Crumbling Beneath Our Feet: Who Bears the Cost When Alaska's Ground Gives Way

Across Alaska's municipalities, thawing permafrost is buckling roads, tilting buildings, and rupturing water lines—leaving local governments to absorb staggering costs that federal climate pledges have yet to meaningfully address. As the damage accelerates, a fundamental question of financial responsibility remains unanswered: who is actually obligated to pay for a crisis that no single community created? This investigation examines the widening gap between Washington's climate commitments and t

Northern Exposure: The Tech Industry's Turn Toward Alaska and Whether Alaskans Will Share the Gains

Northern Exposure: The Tech Industry's Turn Toward Alaska and Whether Alaskans Will Share the Gains

Technology companies are beginning to cast their eyes northward, drawn by Alaska's unique geographic advantages, competitive tax environment, and expanding digital infrastructure. But as interest grows, a critical question remains: will the economic benefits of this emerging sector reach everyday Alaskans, or will the profits flow south to Outside corporations while local workers are left watching from the sidelines?

Alaska's Most Beloved Check Is in Jeopardy—Here's What's at Stake for Every Resident

Alaska's Most Beloved Check Is in Jeopardy—Here's What's at Stake for Every Resident

The Permanent Fund Dividend has defined Alaska's social contract for decades, putting oil wealth directly into the hands of residents. Now, mounting budget pressures and competing legislative priorities are placing the program's future in serious doubt. Understanding the forces at work—and how Alaskans can respond—has never been more urgent.