Blue, They take out 16 thou a yr of our checks too, but it's the feds, not the state of Alaska. If you ever get to thinking that Ak is a heavily taxed state, just call some friends back east and ask about what their states do to them; sobering reality. Pennsylvania had layers of taxes upon taxes. They had a 6% state sales tax along with local taxes and no 500 dollar limit on what could be taxed. You bought a new truck, you paid 6% on 40 some gran. Then you had state income tax too and all the hidden taxes we don't have in Alaska. I don't pay any prop taxes out where I live but do pay prop taxes for my place in the matsu; prop taxes here are less than half what they would have been 20 years ago in Pennsylvania. Believe me, Alaskan's are not taxed to death, no joke.
The important factor is back east, there's no end to new taxes and quite acceptable to just keep raising them. Here in ALaska, there's an anti-tax sentiment across the board which is reflected thru our conservative government.
THe mindset is different from back east; and in the end we have more freedom with less taxes. Ya know that vicious circle of state providing services from taxes tends to get outta hand. We are quite lucky to have the oil funding much of our govt; politicals can't justify new taxes.