Signatures turned in for oil tax initiative

Petroleum News

The group collecting signatures to put a measure on the ballot to increase production taxes said Jan. 14 that they had collected more than 43,000 signatures; those signatures were submitted to the Alaska Division of Elections Jan. 17.

Primary sponsors of what is called the “Fair Share Act” are Robin Brena of Anchorage, Merrick Peirce of Fairbanks and Jane Angvik of Anchorage. The group, Vote Yes! For Alaska’s Fair Share, organized last summer.

A group in opposition to the tax initiative, OneAlaska, formed in November. Co-chairs of that group are Nicholas Begich III of Eagle River; Genevieve Bell of Fairbanks, Gary Dixon of Anchorage, Jason Grenn of Anchorage, Crawford Patkotak of Utqiagvik, Bill Popp of Anchorage, Julie Sande of Ketchikan, Jill Schaefer of Soldotna, John Sturgeon of Anchorage and Jodi Taylor of Anchorage.

The last time an oil tax initiative was on the ballot was in 2014 when an initiative to recall the oil production tax enacted as Senate Bill 21 was defeated.

- Petroleum News