Payout from Permanent Fund?
Let each eligible Alaskan decide
Alaska is divided on another important issue: Whether to do a Permanent Fund dividend payout or keep things the same. There is a solution to please everyone. Let's make the payout an option for every eligible Alaskan who has lived in our state for at least six years. The six-year term prevents the payments to the total strangers.
Not everyone wants this money now, and a lot of residents prefer to get the annual payments for a long time. One-time payout for the whole family is a waste of money because of huge taxes they will have to pay.
But the older people will surely ask for the payout right away; otherwise, after their death none of their family gets it. In the young families, the payout, even for one member, can help to make a down payment for a new house. The payout can make almost every Alaskan a homeowner. And for the families that want to leave the state, the payout will be the last opportunity to get their share.
---- Fyodor Soloview
Anchorage
SOURCE: Anchorage Daily News, Anchorage, Alaska, April 28, 2005
