Representatives of two regional Alaska Native tribal organizations offered support for an income or another progressive tax Tuesday.
Tanana Chiefs Conference General Counsel Natasha Singh said Alaska Natives would contribute to a tax.
“We often hear that we want an income tax because we wouldn’t pay for it,” Singh said. “That’s simply not the case. We want an income tax because that is what’s best for Alaska. We are part of this state and we contribute far more to the economy than we are credited for in discussions about fiscal policy.”
Singh spoke to the House Finance Committee. Her sister, Grace Singh, spoke on behalf of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
The committee also heard from other nonprofit leaders who support the Legislature passing bills that would balance the state’s budget.
Natasha Singh said her organization would support drawing money from the Permanent Fund — if the solution is balanced.
“Restructure and a dividend cap are reasonable steps that this state probably must take,” Singh said. “But we urge you to consider the ethical and moral obligation we all have to one another to balance those elements with a progressive revenue measure to avoid disproportionally impacting one Alaskan over another.”
The House Finance Committee is focused on the long-term budget plans this week.
The mostly Democratic House passed a Permanent Fund plan that requires that the Legislature also pass an income tax and increase oil and gas taxes.
The Republican-led Senate majority wants the Permanent Fund plan to stand on its own.
The Senate also has voted for deeper budget cuts.
The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to discuss a bill changing oil and gas tax credits this week.
Andrew Kitchenman is the state government and politics reporter for Alaska Public Media and KTOO in Juneau. Reach him at akitchenman@alaskapublic.org.
