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  • 2016-09-13 (xsd:date)
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  • Will Alaska Pay You $2,000 Not to Leave the State? (en)
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  • The meme reproduced above appeared at some point in 2015, claiming that residents of Alaska are entitled to a yearly payout for staying in the state: That initiative indeed exists. It is known as the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend (colloquially called the PFD), its disbursement is reported annually in the national media, and the dividends come from the Alaska Permanent Fund's investments: The PFD is occasionally referenced as a rare American application of the concept of universal basic income: On 2 October 2014, the Los Angeles Times, not sparing a single Alaska-related pun, reported that the payout that year was one of the largest in the state's history: This Alaska-centric perk probably got attention because of the advent of memes of its type on social media. The claim fits neatly onto many images of photogenic Alaska, serving as a fun fact and appealing fantasy rolled into one, perhaps increasing its popularity. The claim as presented is mostly accurate, although it's specifically for 2015. The APF was established via ballot initiative in 1976: Former Alaska governor Jay Hammond, who created the system, said in 2004 that he was actually hoping to make the fund much bigger: According to the web site for the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, which manages its portfolio, the fund was not created specifically to entice Alaskans to stay, but rather as a failsafe against volatile oil futures: The PFD's ties to fluctuating markets mean that some years see drastically lower (or higher) payouts than others. While the dividend climbed to $1,963.86 in 2000, it plummeted to $845.76 in 2005. By 2008 it reached $2,069.00, hit a low of $878.00 in 2012, and reached $2,072.00 in 2015 (arguably its highest ever). Other requirements cited in the meme were also mostly accurate, as were its claims about sales tax and income tax (although Alaska was considering introducing an income tax as of December 2015). And while you can be a convicted felon and still receive a dividend, you can't receive one in the year that you have been convicted: The meme most likely appeared before the state announced in June 2016 that the PFD payouts would be capped at $1,000 through at least 2019 in order to address an ongoing fiscal crisis. (en)
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