Group forms to oppose proposed oil tax changes in Alaska

JUNEAU, Alaska – A group has formed to oppose a proposed ballot measure seeking to change Alaska’s oil tax structure.

The chair of the group OneAlaska is Chantal Walsh, who was a director of the Oil and Gas Division under former Gov. Bill Walker.

Co-chairs include Jason Grenn, a former state lawmaker, and Crawford Patkotak, chairman of the board for Arctic Slope Regional Corp.

A group called Vote Yes for Alaska’s Fair Share recently got approval to begin gathering signatures in a bid to qualify the measure for next year’s ballot. The campaign says the measure is aimed at Alaska’s legacy oil fields and increasing the state’s share of production revenues.

Critics say the proposal could hurt investment and that complicated tax policy should not be decided at the ballot box.