Alaska Property Tax Exemption Act (August 2012)

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Property Tax Exemption Act
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Type:	State statute
State code:	Section 1. AS 29.45.050(a)
Referred by:	Citizens
Topic:	Taxes
Status:	On the ballot

The Alaska Property Tax Exemption Act will appear on the August 28, 2012 primary election ballot as an indirect initiated state statute in the state of Alaska. The measure, if enacted by state voters, would allow municipalities to overlook, at most, $50,000 of the value of residential properties when imposing taxes. According to reports, the homeowners’ exemption currently has a ceiling of $20,000.^[1]

On December 20, 2010 the state initiative committee was told by the Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell that the initiative petition was properly filed, which was previously ruled improperly filed. Unless the legislature had passed an act that was similar to the proposed law before the 2012 primary election, which it did not, the measure would be scheduled to appear on the ballot.^[2]

Support

Supporters

• Fairbanks North Star Borough Presiding Officer for the Assembly Nadine Winters, Borough Mayor Jim Whitaker and Eileen Cummings are sponsors of the amendment. Cummings served as the project manager. According to Winters: “This initiative is necessary to provide tax relief to local residents.”^[2]

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Alaska

The application was certified by the Lieutenant Governor of Alaska and petition booklets were issued to the initiative committee on June 25, 2009. The one year filing deadline for the proposed measure petition was June 25, 2010. Over 32,000 signatures from registered voters were needed to for the act to get on the 2010 ballot. The signature deadline to place the measure on the November 2, 2010 ballot was on January 19, 2010.

However, the initiative effort fell short, as the petition was not turned in due to insufficient signatures. During the week of June 4, 2010, the Alaska Division of Elections stated that the measure was 1,214 short of the 32,734 signatures needed to place the measure on the ballot.^[3]

The early January 19, 2010 deadline in Alaska was a function of the fact that Alaskan initiatives are indirect initiated state statutes, which means that they must be filed in time for the state legislature to weigh in on them. The group then had until the one year filing deadline to submit signatures in order for it to be placed on a 2012 election ballot, which it did. ^[1][4][5]

Timeline

The following is a timeline of events surrounding the measure:

Event	Date	Developments
Application Certified	Jun. 25, 2009	The application was certified by the Lieutenant Governor of Alaska.
Signature Deadline	Jan.19, 2010	Signature deadline for 2010 ballot, however, efforts fell short.
Insufficient Signatures	Jun. 4, 2010	Division of Elections stated that effort was 1,214 short of signatures needed for 2012 ballot.
Filing deadline	Jun. 25, 2010	One year filing deadline for 2012 ballot, since 2010 deadline was missed.
Certification	Dec. 10, 2010	Petition signatures deemed properly filed.
Session ends	Apr. 17, 2011	Legislative session ends without similar proposal, keeping measure on ballot.

See also

By Al Ortiz Ballot measure writer

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Articles

External links

• Alaska Division of Elections

References

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