Fraud is NEVER acceptable. I am not concerned with what the past arrangement was- I am concerned with the current arrangement, which Palin takes full credit for. It is a confiscatory rate. It contains a windfall tax clause. These are my objections.
Also, from my understanding, oil Rights in Alaska are all "public" owned.
That is true.
The checks going to Alaskans aren't a "wealth redistribution" schema, but a mineral Rights lease payment from the oil companies to the people who actually own it.
That is *not* always true, or at least the $1200 per citizen "Emergency energy relief" was not, which was the particular point I had raised. It was part of huge (historic) revenue the state made from the previously mentioned windfall tax. It was purposefully funneled through the Permanent Fund, but was *not* mineral rights dividend at all, as links I provided earlier explain.
So yes, it is screwing the corporations, and practicing wealth re-distribution. That is precisely what it is.
Any rate above 0 is by definition "confiscatory". However, these "taxes" are the publics lease payments. Do renters now not have to pay their landlords because rent payments are a confiscatory "tax"?
The oil companies used fraud to try and get around the Permanent Funds payments to the land "owners", the residents of Alaska. That is not a good thing. Sarah didn't write the bill, the Legislature did. It did most of what she wanted and she signed it.
"Half a loaf is better than no bread".
RKBA, Property Rights, limiting government scope, balancing budgets, she's got it in spades.