The Problem with Property Taxes in Alaska—and the Fair Fix We Desperately Need
I was talking with a friend recently who thought he’d scored a win. Last year, after pushing back on his property tax assessment, he got a modest reduction—granted over the phone, no less. For a moment, it felt like justice.
But then this year’s assessment showed up and erased every bit of that so-called relief. In fact, the value shot up even higher than before. It was like the system had handed him a pat on the head… just long enough to take a bigger bite the next time.
That’s when it hit me: this isn’t just frustrating.
It’s arbitrary. And that’s a problem.
Let’s be honest—property taxes in Alaska are a regressive tax. They don’t care about your income, your circumstances, or your ability to pay. You could be a retired couple living quietly on a fixed income, and you’d pay the same as a high-income professional for the same home. No grace. No nuance. Just the raw imposition of cost.
Worse yet, it’s based on a number no one can really explain.
According to Alaska law (Title 29), assessors are supposed to calculate “fair market value” as of January 1st each year. But how do you determine market value when no actual sale has occurred? You don’t. You guess. You estimate. You impose.
That makes the entire process not just flawed—but, by definition, arbitrary.
If you were taxed on income you might earn next year, you’d scream foul. Yet we accept being taxed on the paper value of a home we haven’t sold and don’t intend to. It’s speculation. And it’s being weaponized against Alaskans.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
There’s a better path forward. A Fair Tax Act for Alaska. Here’s what that would look like:
Your assessed value is what you paid for the property—unless you can prove a lower value.
If you’re 65 or older, you pay nothing on your primary residence.
Property assessments roll back to 2019 levels—before the inflation surge and valuation frenzy.
Simple. Fair. Predictable.
Homeownership is supposed to be the bedrock of financial stability. Yet today, it’s being undermined by a tax system built on shifting sand. You can’t plan for your future under a regime of fluctuating valuations and algorithmic whims.
This isn’t just about dollars. It’s about principle.
Fairness. Transparency. Accountability.
No one should lose their home—or be punished for staying in it—because the government imagines what it might be worth.
It’s time to stop tolerating taxation on fantasy. It’s time to fix the system. Let’s bring sanity back to how we value—and tax—the homes we live in.
Let’s pass the Fair Tax Act.
Before the system prices us all out of our own backyards. Connect with me on the Meet the Team page @ www.ILoveHomerAlaska.com