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| Comparisons | |||||
4. Comparison to Other States
4.10 How Does Alaska Finance Government Compared to Other States?
Nationally over half of state and local government revenues come from federal transfers, property taxes, and current charges. Half of current charges consist of hospitals and education (mostly higher education).
|
U.S.
Average Sources of Public Sector
(State + Local) Revenues in 1996 |
||
|
|
US
Average Per Capita
|
Share
of Total
|
|
General Revenues
|
$4,609
|
100%
|
|
Federal Transfers
|
$885
|
19.2%
|
|
Property tax
|
$789
|
17.1%
|
|
Current Charges
|
$687
|
14.9%
|
|
General Sales Tax
|
$637
|
13.8%
|
|
Individual Income Tax
|
$554
|
12.0%
|
|
Selective Sales Tax
|
$301
|
6.5%
|
|
Other (non-tax)
|
$223
|
4.8%
|
|
Interest Earnings
|
$217
|
4.7%
|
|
Other Taxes |
$195
|
4.2%
|
|
Corporate Income Tax
|
$121
|
2.6%
|
|
Note: General Revenues exclude insurance trust fund, utility, and liquor store revenues. Source: U.S. Dept of Commerce, Governmental Finances. |
||
Of Selective Sales Taxes, about 1/3 is from motor fuel sales, with alcohol and tobacco also contributing. Motor vehicle license taxes account for about 25% of Other Taxes.
Alaska gets over half of its public sector revenues from interest earnings and "other," which includes royalties collected from the petroleum industry.
| Alaska
Sources of Public Sector (State + Local) Revenues in 1996 |
||
|
|
Alaska
Per Capita (COLA adjusted to US Price Level)
|
Share
of Total
|
| General Revenues |
$11,090
|
100%
|
| Federal transfers |
$1,492
|
13.5%
|
| Property tax |
$905
|
8.2%
|
| Current charges |
$944
|
8.5%
|
| General sales tax |
$145
|
1.3%
|
| Individual income tax |
$0
|
0%
|
| Selective sales tax |
$173
|
1.6%
|
| Other (non tax) |
$2,550
|
23%
|
| Interest earnings |
$3,041
|
27.4%
|
|
Other taxes |
$1,406
|
12.6%
|
| Corporate Income tax |
$434
|
3.9%
|
|
Note: General Revenues exclude insurance trust fund, utility, and liquor store revenues Source: U.S. Dept of Commerce, Governmental Finances. |
||
Revenues per capita, after adjusting for the higher cost of living in Alaska, were 2.41 times the U.S. average in 1996. Alaska is above the U.S. average in all categories except the general sales tax, individual income tax, and selective sales tax.
| Comparing
Sources of Per Capita Public Sector (State + Local) Revenues in 1996 |
||||
|
|
U.S.
Average
|
Alaska
|
Alaska
(COLA- adjusted to U.S. Price Level)
|
Ratio
Alaska with COLA / U.S. Avg
|
|
General Revenues
|
$4,609
|
$13,726
|
$11,090
|
2.41
|
|
Federal transfers
|
$885
|
$1,847
|
$1,492
|
1.69
|
|
Property tax
|
$789
|
$1,121 |
$905
|
1.15
|
|
Current charges
|
$687
|
$1,168
|
$944
|
1.37
|
|
General sales tax
|
$637
|
$179
|
$145
|
.23
|
|
Individual income tax
|
$554
|
$0
|
$0
|
0
|
|
Selective sales tax
|
$301
|
$215
|
$173
|
.58
|
|
Other
|
$223
|
$3,156
|
$2,550
|
11.45
|
|
Interest earnings
|
$217
|
$3,764
|
$3,041
|
14.01
|
|
Other taxes
|
$195
|
$1,739
|
$1,406
|
7.21
|
|
Corporate income tax
|
$121
|
$538
|
$434
|
3.60
|
|
Note: General Revenues exclude insurance trust fund, utility, and liquor store revenues Source: U.S. Dept of Commerce, Governmental Finances. |
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Institute of Social and Economic
Research, University of Alaska Anchorage
Mailing Address: 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, Alaska 99508
Physical Address: 4500 Diplomacy Drive, Suite 501, Anchorage, Alaska
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Page Updated April 16, 2003