(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - The Department of the Interior is distributing over $26 million to Alaskan communities in compensation for taxes that could not be levied on federal lands in their jurisdictions during fiscal year 2013. Of that amount, the Ketchikan Gateway Borough will receive $1,017,546 and Prince of Wales will be receiving a PILT payment of $654,129 for 2013.

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced reauthorization this afternoon of the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program which provides monetary compensation to local governments that contain National Forests, Bureau of Land Management public lands, National Parks and other lands dedicated to water resource development projects. The revenue helps local governments provide vital services, such as firefighting and police protection, construction of public schools and roads, and search-and-rescue operations.

“Local governments provide many of the vital services that their residents depend on, from maintaining roads and schools to firefighting and police protection,” U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said. “With the federal government managing 60 percent of Alaska, the payment in lieu of taxes program ensures that our local communities have the appropriate funds to provide services that would otherwise be supported through property taxes.” 

“Even as we tighten our belts and find places to reduce federal spending, it’s important that we keep smart investments in our rural communities,” said U.S. Senator Mark Begich (D-AK). “The federal government owns more than 60% of the land in Alaska.  With more federal land than any other state, PILT resources are critical to keeping many of our rural areas running smoothly. I’m pleased that after urging from the Alaska delegation, DOI has acted to keep this program going strong through the year.

“It’s unfortunate that the automatic budget cuts in the sequester affect these crucial payments for Alaska communities,” Begich explained.  They’re a lifeline in many cases and that needs to be fixed.” 

The U.S. Interior Department collects approximately $14 billion in revenue annually from commercial activities on federal lands, with a portion of the revenues being shared with states and counties in the form of revenue-sharing payments. The balance is deposited in the U.S. Treasury which helps supports PILT funding to counties/boroughs.

Below are 2012 and 2013 payments to individual areas in Alaska:

Edited by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News: 

Office of U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski
www.murkowski.senate.gov

Office of U.S. Sen. Mark Begich
www.begich.senate.gov

 

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