What tax is that? And why would it matter since 100% of Alaskan North Slope Crude stays in the US?
I'm certainly not an expert on oil issues, in fact, our new energy collegues are "terrorists" to big oil/vested interests in that we threaten to put them out of business, that's why they fight us in the funding trenches every step of the way. One excuse is "oh, foreign funding, it MUST be terrorists", another : "oh, unapproved funds"(ie, unapproved by their people in government), the list of specious excuses goes on and on....if you only knew. As to alaskan oil going to japan, china, wherever; that's a no brainer, of course it's going to the highest bidder, whoever that may be. Buy low, sell high is a major tenet of capitalism, so prudhoe bay oil goes to feed 300 million cars in china at the highest bid...it's a no-brainer....and the US government just wants to rip off as much as they can on the deal(the love of money is the root of all evil). And so the oil company, by shutting down, told the feds to STICK IT where the sun don't shine...