For more than 15 years, the City of Unalaska has offered local seniors an annual sales tax refund of $200. Now, officials are poised to raise that amount for the first time.
The City Council expressed unanimous support last month for doubling the senior refund to $400. Councilor Daneen Looby said Unalaska needs to help elders affected by high inflation and other financial strains.
“The cost of living going up, the cost of airfare — just everything has put a real burden on our senior citizens,” said Looby. “And I feel like they don’t have a means to increase their income, like the younger generation does.”
The council also wants to set standards for vetting the residency of applicants, who must be 65 or older.
Under the proposal, seniors would have three options to show they’ve lived on the island for at least 30 days and intend to stay: provide evidence of current Alaska voter registration at an Unalaska address, evidence of approved eligibility for the Permanent Fund Dividend for the current year at an Unalaska address, or other evidence of an Unalaska address at the discretion of the City Clerk’s Office.
City Clerk Marjie Veeder said adding those criteria would help ensure that refunds go to local elders as intended, and make processing more straightforward for city staff.
“The language specifically describing the proof of residency requirements does set clear standards for establishing residency, while allowing some discretion for a rare circumstance when an applicant really is a resident of Unalaska but has neither registered to vote or applied for a PFD,” said Veeder. “Because there would be examples of that, I think.”
Eighty-four Unalaskans received the refund last year — a total payout of almost $17,000 for the city.
Applicants are not required to be U.S. citizens, and that would remain unchanged under the new proposal.
If the council approves the measure at its next regular meeting on April 11, the new $400 amount and proof of residency requirements would take effect for the next cycle of senior refunds in 2024.