Alaska News

Cost of 'oil tax reform' special session tops $450K

The finance manager for the Legislative Affairs Agency tells The Associated Press that the special legislative session called in April to consider oil tax reduction, human trafficking and an in-state natural gas project has so far cost the state more than $459,000.

In the end, that figure is estimated to rise above $468,000 after lawmakers turn in outstanding receipts, she says. The costs tallied so far largely cover payroll, per diem, travel, and other reimbursable costs incurred during the Juneau special gathering.

The 13-day special session ended shortly after its principal item of consideration, a bill initiated by Gov. Parnell that would reduce taxes paid by Alaska's oil producers by up to $2 billion a year, withered under Senate scrutiny and was retracted by the governor.

After the retraction, the Senate adjourned, and the session crumbled, leaving behind a cloud of press releases.

Read more from The Associated Press, here, via the Anchorage Daily News.

Craig Medred

Craig Medred is a former writer for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2015.

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