A new report commissioned by Rasmuson Foundation as part of its Plan4Alaska campaign finds that while strategies currently proposed to close Alaska's 4billionbudgetgapwouldsignificantlyimprovethestate′sfiscalstanding,adiversifiedrevenuestrategyisneededthisyeartoclosethegapandequitablydistributefinancialimpact.RasmusonFoundationcommissionedthereportinresponsetocommentsfromlawmakersaboutthedearthofeconomicdataavailabletogaugetheimpactofvariousrevenuescenarios."DistributionalAnalysesofRevenueOptionsforAlaska"wasproducedbytheInstituteonTaxationandEconomicPolicy(ITEP),anonprofit,non−partisanresearchorganizationwithamissiontoensurethatelectedofficials,themedia,andthegeneralpublichaveaccesstoaccurate,timely,andstraightforwardinformationthatallowsthemtounderstandtheeffectsofcurrentandproposedtaxpolicies.ITEPusedGov.BillWalker′sSustainableAlaskaPlaninitsanalysis,andevaluateditsproposedreductionstothePermanentFunddividend,andincome,alcohol,tobacco,andmotorfueltaxincreasestodetermineeffectsonAlaskansatdifferentincomelevels.ITEPfoundthatafiscalplanthatreliedheavilyonPermanentFundearningswithoutincometaxandotherformsoftaxationwoulddisproportionatelyimpactmiddle−incomeworkingfamiliesandlow−incomeAlaskans.Thereportalsoexaminesavarietyofoptionstoderivemorerevenuefromtheincometaxandlessfromreductionstothedividend.Amongthealternativeincometaxstructuresexaminedareadoublingofthegovernor′sproposedtax,theimplementationofamoreprogressiveincometaxproposedbyRep.PaulSeatonin2015,andtheenactmentofa6.4percentflattaxonincomesover100,000 (or over $200,000 for married couples)