From Alaska Policy Forum
For Immediate Release Contact: David Boyle
June 17, 2016 907-444-4970
Anchorage, AK. Legislators and the governor are ignoring the total cost of Alaska's budget when they only consider certain buckets of money. Budget games are played, different budget terms are used, and different metrics are used by all in messaging the costs of state government. Let's talk consistency in measuring the budget and be transparent in comparing "apples to apples".
The Policy Forum notes that in pre-oil days the UGF averaged about $1,600 per person (in 2014 dollars). Governor Walker's FY17 UGF budget submission was $4,854 per person (2014 dollars). Sure, it has nearly returned to the FY06 levels but that is three times the UGF pre-oil per capita budget using the same 2014 dollars.
And the revenue stream is nearly the same in FY17 as it was in FY69, pre-oil.
Alaska is in a very tough position. Let's base our budget on what is constitutionally mandated before extracting wealth from Alaskans through a PFD reduction or taxes. Alaska cannot afford a budget of nearly $17,600 per capita (all spending including federal funds).
Just to fund today's K12 public education budget, every working Alaskan would have to cough up $4,048 "for the children". That is totally unsustainable and no one talks about it. Why not?
It's time for legislators, the governor and all bureaucrats to heed the call to fund "needs" only and defund the "wants". Zero Based Budgeting can be the tool to make this happen.
For the entire detailed report and very pretty detailed graphs go here: http://bit.ly/1W3AojZ
Contact: David Boyle, info@alaskapolicyforum.org, 907-444-4970
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
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