In addressing our state’s ongoing budget dilemma, one option that seems to have evaded discussion is whether to limit Permanent Fund dividend eligibility based on financial need. Doing so could substantially reduce state PFD expenditures even under the current statutory dividend formula. It would also minimize adverse financial impacts on Alaska’s neediest families.
A possible example could be tying PFD eligibility to family incomes below the federal poverty level (or perhaps the same one used for Medicaid eligibility), or to some higher family income threshold adjusted for inflation. Families with incomes exceeding this level would not be eligible for PFDs.
— Steve DeVries
Anchorage
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