2012 Permanent Fund Dividend Amount Announced; Alaskans React

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By KTVA CBS 11 News
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To see Alaskans reactions to this year's PFD announcement, click the video at left.

ALASKA - Tuesday morning, Alaska's Commissioner of Revenue, Bryan Butcher, announced the amount of the 2012 Permanent Fund Dividend checks. This year the checks will be $878 per qualifying Alaskan out of more than $567 million total in payouts. The money will begin to be disbursed via direct deposit on October 4, with checks being mailed from Juneau the same day.

This is the lowest PFD amount since 2005, when checks were $845.76. Last year's PFD amount was $1,174.

This is the 31st year the PFD has been distributed; checks were first distributed in 1982, which were $1,000. To date, over $20.1 billion has been distributed. If you've received every dividend since 1982, the total amount you've gotten is $34,243.41.

This was a record year for the Pick. Click. Give. program, where dividend recipients can choose to donate part of their dividend online to 413 charitable and nonprofit organizations. More than 23,000 Alaskans contributed to more than 37,000 organizations using Pick. Click. Give. for a total of over $2.2 million.

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Nettie said on Saturday, Sep 22 at 11:08 PM

Im grateful for the PFD and I wish the other 49 states offered it to their residents as well. We came up in 1989, by way of the military, the very organization that provides the freedom for all your input, opinions and statements. We're originally from Hawaii, however someone up in Department of the Army kept stopping on the 49th state, instead of the 50th, when we came up for reassignment. So after 3 tours of duty,from TX., here, Ks., here,then Ga. back here, we retired here. The lifestyle and culture is compatible for us. I agree that it should be a 5 yr. probationary period in establishing residency. Offenders should not be penalized or deprived a fund and Military should be excluded from the fund, as well as the Census (that the government allocates money to, based on the number of people here at the time, that's alot of military pouring money into our economy). Just a little point to ponder.

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Anonymous said on Friday, Sep 21 at 3:59 AM

Frankly I'm a bit surprised it is not lower. After all its a 5 year ave that is part of the equation to come to that amount, and lets face it the last 4 years have been abysmal for all the markets and economy. I cant imagine next year being much higher even if the current markets are somehow sustained. Maybe 2014 will be better but I doubt it. Its not like its something that we will get forever, eventually it will have to be used to sustain the government when revenues suspend as it was designed to do. In some ways it would be better to waive the PDF for a year or two to help stabilize the fund and make if most robust, BUT unfortantly in this economy most of the bush communities depend on it too much to make it though winter for food and fuel costs... So its doubtful the legislature will ever do anything like that till they have to liquidate it. Even though we have the most resources in North America in Alaska, Its just far cheaper to operate elsewhere for many developers anymore

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stella said on Thursday, Sep 20 at 10:05 PM

I have lived here in ALASKA ALL 21 YEARS OF MY LIFE. WHEN i was a kid you had to live here 5YEARS before you could collect the PFD. THEY SHOULD MAKE IT TO THE WAY IT WAS SO CRAZY PEOPLE STOP MOVING HERE... People should stop moving to alaska for the PFD, claiming residency AND MOVING BACK TO THEIR HOME STATE AFTER THEY RECIEVE ALASKA'S PFD. we need a different governor...

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Someone said on Thursday, Sep 20 at 10:44 AM

If the PDF amount creates a big dent in your budget, you need to get a job.

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pms said on Thursday, Sep 20 at 6:27 AM

why complain,most of you are from lower 48 that came up here few yrs ago once you heard alaska was offering free money to alaskan,should be for alaskan & alaskans only,born & raised here,not the other way around & for the uniformed,they shouldn't be receiving it either. The reason why i left alaska,is because of ones coming up from lower 48,am born & raised here,last time i received PFD was '97 & i would say i can do without it & survive the best i can,yaay for me myself & I.

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bob said on Wednesday, Sep 19 at 12:55 PM

why are some of you upset over free money? every year.

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Melvin said on Wednesday, Sep 19 at 10:57 AM

How much of that is leaving the State to the uniformed that were stationed sometime during their career, and pretend that they will return?

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Israel said on Tuesday, Sep 18 at 6:19 PM

With that guys like that.... Im glad the PFD is low

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vic said on Tuesday, Sep 18 at 5:24 PM

This will help a little on bills and fuel, gotta stop on letting people be eligible after one year in our state, it should be 5 or 10 years, also convicted and incarcerated felon and misdemeanant, we shouldn't get deducted for that.

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tom said on Tuesday, Sep 18 at 2:10 PM

maybe next year we should let pre-schoolers figure the pfd out

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jm said on Tuesday, Sep 18 at 1:38 PM

yea really.

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bill said on Tuesday, Sep 18 at 12:54 PM

does that include the 400 million they spent of buying houses and where they boughtthem in alaska or the lower 48 ????

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