Alaska State Legislature
News from the Office of Representative Scott Ogan

Representative Scott Ogan
State Capital, Room 128
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
ph: (907) 465-3878 fax: (907) 465-3265
toll free: (800) 862-3878
web site: www.akrepublicans.org/Ogan.htm

No Salvation in Taxation

For Immediate Release: January 14, 1999 Contact: Representative Scott Ogan at (907) 465-3878.

Juneau - A Valley Republican is speaking out in opposition to the Governor’s tax agenda citing the Administration’s gross inconsistency, and refusal to decrease state expenditures.

Representative Scott Ogan from Palmer sees the Governor’s announcement as ill-advised political spin. “The Governor has chosen to protect a constituency called big government,” said Ogan. “ If he’s betting he can tax the public or raid the permanent fund to fuel his constituency without a vote of the people, he’s betting wrong.”

Ogan was quick to point out what he calls a glaring inconsistency on the topic of letting the people vote. “This is the same Governor who has joined hands with Bruce Babbitt and the feds to plead with the legislature for a public vote on subsistence, yet now he suddenly opposes a public vote on taxes.

Ogan has researched the growth of the operating budget since 1980 as well as the increase in permanent state employees. “Government operating expenses have increased over 184% from 1980 through 1998, with the addition of nearly 6000 permanent state employees. I don’t think you’ll find any Alaskan who feels their state services have improved in proportion to those increases,” said Ogan.

Ogan calls the Governor’s announcement not only pre-mature, but politically motivated to steer public attention away from future cuts. “The role of the legislature is to identify programs the public deems unworthy of continued funding. It is the Governor’s responsibility to work with the legislature to help identify those portions of government which need to be down-sized,” said Ogan. “By not working with the legislature on reductions, he (Knowles) may be putting legitimate services and state employees at unnecessary risk,” said Ogan.

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