Issues

Fiscal Policy

Since its founding in 1991, Alaska Common Ground has worked to educate Alaskans about the state’s ongoing fiscal challenges and the importance of establishing a long-term fiscal plan to mitigate them.

We do this by hosting moderated discussions that provide balanced, accessible context and engaging with policymakers and other experts to deliberate viable policy pathways forward. We have also developed toolkits, guides and papers to help inform Alaskans around this topic and encouraged engagement in shaping the state’s fiscal future.

For many decades, petroleum revenues had benefited Alaska greatly, but these revenues are highly volatile and as the quantity of oil has decreased, these revenues have fallen. More recently, revenues from the state’s Permanent Fund are providing the largest source of income for state services. Additionally, as the state continues to grapple with long and short-term budgetary challenges, proposals for managing the Permanent Fund Dividend are often at the forefront of contentious conversations and legislative negotiations. ACG continues to explore these changes and challenges, the impacts on our communities, and meaningful solutions.

If we want Alaska to be a place where all people have an opportunity to thrive, our children choose to stay, businesses flourish, poverty is reduced, and the environment is protected, we need to determine more sustainable paths forward to funding high-quality and cost-effective state services, including education, transportation, public safety, healthcare, and more.