Jeremy Price says it’s time Gov. Bill Walker focuses on shrinking the scope of government, not on taxing an ever-shrinking number of employed Alaskans with a “payroll tax.”
Price’s organization, Americans for Prosperity – Alaska has launched a multi-media campaign to oppose the new Walker payroll tax.
Walker describes the tax as a “capped hybrid income tax,” Price said. It is the fourth time the governor has called lawmakers to Juneau to approve new revenue, including a fuel tax and an “education head tax.”
“Gov. Walker and the House continue to insist on more taxes while Alaska is in a recession and leads the nation in unemployment,” Price said.
“Alaska small businesses are the backbone of our communities and we must do all that we can to protect and aid their growth. Increasing their tax burden would cause more financial stress they can’t afford.”
The campaign that Americans for Prosperity launched features small business owners from around the state describing how taxes would hurt their business. The campaign will use every medium to reach Alaskans, including TV ads, radio ads, digital ads, and mailers. Digital ads will start this week and continue through the beginning of special session, Oct. 23.
Alaska has the highest unemployment rate in the United States. The state budget is $4.5 billion. The average 322,000 people who are employed in the state would shoulder the burden of the Walker Payroll Tax.
Kudos to whoever prepared the graphic! It will be a classic bit of art.
We already have an income tax, and for some people, it’s at 49%
Spectacular graphic! I see it being used in the next election cycle. I would love to see it marketed.
Bill Walker, Thief, Liar, and Governor of Alaska. Alaskans could and will do without him. What a piece of S…
So where is your suggestion for increasing revenue? Senate Republicans continue to fail the State by draining budget reserves which has affected the States’ credit rating. A State sales tax would kill a number of businesses in communities that already have a sales tax in place to pay for local services. About 20% of the Alaska workforce are out of State workers. An income tax makes the most sense.
You don’t increase revenue. You live within your means. It’s not complicated. Every day, hardworking people live with this reality. Why can’t government clowns understand this?
Nathan – In pretty much every other place, those “means” that you want people to live within include property tax, sales tax, income tax, or some combination of those. Alaska has none of those on the State level currently while still boasting the most territory to oversee/maintain than any other state by more than double and just about the least population. I don’t deny that there are still some good cuts that can be made, but you can’t just say for them to live within their “means” without realizing there is a lot more to it.
Get rid of the PFD and use that money – it has never been guaranteed and is the easiest target. If you bank on it you never should have and it is not an entitlement.
I keep hearing that the state needs to cut more, and live within its income. The legislature has already cut upwards of 40 million from it’s operating budget. They just passed the smallest capital budget in many years. What else would you cut. I have not heard specifics on that from anyone. Certainly not the legislative leadership. We still have a $ 3 billion deficit. What else do you want to cut??
How many jobs have been eliminated? The oilfield has laid off thousands. Guys I know are having to adapt. Yet the public sector wants to squeeze us more, so they can pretend it’s business as usual.
Everyone is complementing the graphic. Albeit cute, it was George H.W. Bush that famously said that, not his ‘evil and wicked’ son George W Bush. Remember, there was a time you called him “Dub-Ya” to disquinguish him from his father. Knowing current history helps…all history better…
Comments are closed.