The story I hear most often is that when oil prices topped $100 a barrel, the Legislature went on a shopping spree. That sounds like a plausible story, but let’s check the data just to be sure. Budget Growth Here is a plot of the budget over time, according to Legislative Finance. These numbers represent[…]
Now that we have established some terminology, let’s take a closer look at the FY19 budget. In this post, I’ll be breaking down the budget that was passed in May 2018, for fiscal year 2019 (which began in July 2018). Disclaimer If you want the source data to do your own research, I found it[…]
If you’re watching the gubernatorial debates, you’ve probably noticed that the budget is one of the hot topics. Some candidates say the budget is still too large, others say they’ve done as much as they can to cut it. I hear numbers get thrown around, so my economist ears perk up. Here we are, about[…]
Earlier this month, Alyeska Pipeline announced that they were going to layoff 130 people, as part of a reorganization effort to cut costs. As much as I hate to see people lose their jobs, there is a silver lining for the rest of us. When the cost of transporting oil goes down, the value of[…]
One of the things that I’ve heard over and over again, is that there is a lack of transparency in Alaska’s oil taxes. How do we know if the current tax law is “fair” and “equitable” to all parties when we aren’t allowed to see how much money they are making? This is a valid[…]
I recently saw a social media post that said something to the effect of “the reason the State is broke is because of the oil tax giveaway back in 2013.” At the same time, I see pro-industry ads talking about how the same tax reform has led to an increase in production and all the[…]
Each October, the Alaska Department of Revenue (DOR) holds an oil price forecasting session. They gather about 30 people in a room in Anchorage, talk to them about what’s going on in the oil markets, and eventually ask them to write down what they think is going to happen to oil prices for the next[…]
After we published an article about HB 331 last week, the “Alaskans for a Sustainable Budget” posted a retort questioning our conclusions. First, I have to say that they do bring forward one compelling argument. The advantage of HB 331 hinges on the fiscal responsibility of the legislature, and their history isn’t great. But we[…]
As the Alaska Legislature completes its annual task of setting next year’s budget, conversations about oil tax credits have once again taken center stage. I thought I would take a moment to explain what these credits are, what they are not, and the decision that is now being debated. First I’ll start with a brief[…]
The Alaska State Legislature is currently considering a bill that would allow the Department of Revenue (DOR) to borrow money to make oil tax credit purchases. The bill is called HB 331 in the House and SB 176 in the Senate. Both bills sit in their respective finance committees, but are said to be a part[…]