Our vision is an Alaska that continuously grows prosperity by maximizing individual opportunities and freedom
By Aubrey Wursten Because startup companies play a major role in driving the economy, discouragement of new business creation has a ripple effect on the rest of Alaska’s market. Startups create most net […]
By Aubrey Wursten Sales tax levels and structure affect the spending habits of both companies and consumers, and states with low and simple sales tax schemes have a distinct advantage over their counterparts. […]
Unemployment insurance taxes (UI taxes) have significant effects on a state’s business climate, and unfortunately, Alaska’s system ranks 43rd out of 50, according to a recent report by the Tax Foundation. UI is […]
March 25 was Alaska’s Tax Freedom Day (TFD)—the day Alaskans and businesses in Alaska had worked enough days to pay all state and local taxes for the year. This is the earliest state […]
A recent report about the economic impacts of states’ responses to the pandemic shows that there was a direct correlation between the number of jobs lost and how severe a state’s shutdown was, […]
This article was first published in the Alaska Watchman on December 30th, 2021 by Joel Davidson, Editor-In-Chief of the Alaska Watchman. In a new report analyzing fiscal, regulatory and personal freedoms across all […]
Alaska ranks dead last in the U.S. for business competitiveness in 2021. CNBC releases an annual report ranking all 50 states on which are best to do business in, and Alaska ranked 50th […]
By Drew Godsell A report from the Mercatus Center comparing regulatory burdens in different states ranks Alaska 24th in the nation for the largest occupational licensure burden. While regulations and licensures are usually justified as a means of […]
Advocates of higher school spending often frame the problem as a no-brainer solution to assist struggling students. However, the school funding issue in Alaska is far more complicated; a recent report by the […]
The Tax Foundation has released a series of articles examining the reliance of state budgets on property taxes, sales taxes, and individual income taxes. Alaska does not yet have an income tax on individuals, although several bills have been introduced in […]
The Texas Public Policy Foundation has released an interactive tool that classifies programs at universities based on average annual earnings, monthly loan payments, students’ average debt-to-earnings ratio, and gainful employment equivalent status. The debt-to-earnings ratio is calculated by dividing the median debt […]
Given the recent budget woes of the University of Alaska (UA) system and falling enrollment for nearly a decade, it is reasonable to wonder if earning a degree in Alaska is a sound economic investment for students. In other words, do Alaskan students leave […]
Given the necessity of roads in helping Alaskans travel, investing taxpayer dollars in roads seems to be one of the few legitimate functions of government. But according to the Reason Foundation, Alaskans aren’t […]
The Fraser Institute has released the updated edition of Economic Freedom of North America 2020, which examines the extent to which every state and province – in Canada, Mexico, and the United States […]
Part of the Alaska, Ranked Series It’s a commonly known and grudgingly accepted fact for most people who choose to live in Alaska: Expect to pay higher prices. The Tax Foundation recently published […]
Last year, the Legatum Institute released its first United States Prosperity Index, which reports that overall prosperity in the U.S. has improved over the past decade (2009–2019) across all regions. The bad news? […]