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Alaska Commissioner of the Department of Revenue
| Alaska Commissioner of the Department of Revenue | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Nonpartisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $141,160 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $464,248,900 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | Serves at pleasure of the governor |
| Authority: | Alaska Statutes, Title 44, Chapter 25, Section 10 |
| Selection Method: | Appointed by the governor |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
Alaska Commissioner of the Department of Revenue
Janelle Earls | |
| Other Alaska Executive Offices | |
| Governor•Lieutenant Governor•Attorney General•Comptroller•Education Commissioner•Revenue Commissioner•Agriculture Director•Insurance Director•Natural Resources Commissioner•Labor Commissioner•Regulatory Commission | |
The Commissioner of the Department of Revenue is a state executive position in the Alaska state government. The commissioner is the principal executive officer of the Alaska Department of Revenue. The mission of the department is to collect and invest funds for public purposes. To that end, the commissioner provides support and policy direction.[1]
Current officeholder
The acting Alaska Commissioner of the Department of Revenue is Janelle Earls (nonpartisan). Earls assumed office in 2025.
Authority
The revenue commissioner's authority derives from Alaska statute.[2]:
Alaska Statutes, Title 44, Chapter 25, Section 10
| The principal executive officer of the Department of Revenue is the commissioner of revenue. |
Qualifications
Like all principal executive officers in the Alaska government, the revenue commissioner must "furnish corporate surety bonds in the instance and amount required by law," the cost of which is paid by the state. Otherwise, there are no special qualifications for the office of commissioner of revenue.[3]
Alaska Statutes, Title 44, Chapter 23, Section 50
| The principal executive officer of each department and subordinate officials shall furnish corporate surety bonds in the instance and amount required by law or determined by the governor upon recommendation of the commissioner of administration. The state shall pay the cost of the bond. The attorney general shall approve the form of the bond. |
Appointments
The revenue commissioner, like all Alaska executive department heads, is appointed by the governor and subject to confirmation by a majority of the members of the legislature.[4] The commissioner serves at the governor's pleasure.
Alaska Statutes, Title 39, Chapter 5, Section 20
| The governor shall appoint the head of each principal executive department in the state government. Each appointment is subject to confirmation by a majority of the members of the legislature in joint session. |
Term limits
There are no term limits for the office of revenue commissioner. The officeholder serves at the pleasure of the governor.
Vacancies
Alaska law does not outline any particular procedure for dealing with vacancies. It is the governor's responsibility to appoint a new revenue commissioner, subject to approval from the legislature.
Duties
The Department of Revenue, under the leadership of its commissioner, is directed to:[5]
- Enforce the tax laws of the state
- Collect, invest, and manage all revenues except those collected by other departments
- Register cattle brands
- Manage the power development fund
The commissioner of revenue has the following statutory duties:[6]
- exercise general supervision and direct the activities of the Department of Revenue;
- supervise the fiscal affairs and responsibilities of the department;
- prescribe uniform rules for investigations and hearings;
- keep a record of all departmental proceedings, record and file all bonds, and assume custody of returns, reports, papers, and documents of the department;
- adopt a seal and affix it to each order, process, or certificate issued by the commissioner;
- keep a record of each order, process, and certificate issued by the commissioner, and keep the record open to public inspection at all reasonable times;
- hold hearings and investigations necessary for the administration of state tax and revenue laws;
- except as provided in AS 43.05.405 - 43.05.499 and in AS 44.64.030, hear and determine appeals of a matter within the jurisdiction of the Department of Revenue and enter orders on the appeals that are final unless reversed or modified by the courts;
- issue subpoenas to require the attendance of witnesses and the production of necessary books, papers, documents, correspondence, and other things;
- order the taking of depositions before a person competent to administer oaths;
- administer oaths and take acknowledgments;
- request the attorney general for rulings on the interpretation of the tax and revenue laws administered by the department;
- call upon the attorney general to institute actions for recovery of unpaid taxes, fees, excises, additions to tax, penalties, and interest;
- issue warrants for the collection of unpaid tax penalties and interest and take all steps necessary and proper to enforce full and complete compliance with the tax, license, excise, and other revenue laws of the state;
He also acts as the treasurer of the state's public school trust fund, which he or she manages and invests.
Divisions
As of January 6, 2021, divisions within the Department of Revenue included:[7]
- Commissioner's Office
- Child Support Services
- Permanent Fund Division
- Tax Division
- Treasury Division
State budget
- See also: Alaska state budget and finances
The budget for the Commissioner of the Department of Revenue's Office in Fiscal Year 2025 was $464,248,900.[8]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
The Alaska Commissioner of the Department of Revenue's salary is bound to a range determined by statute; it must be no less than Range 28 of the Alaska executive branch employee salary schedule nor more than Range 30.[9]
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $141,160, according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $141,160, according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2021
In 2021, the commissioner received a salary of $141,160, according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2020
In 2020, the commissioner received a salary of $141,156 according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2019
In 2019, the commissioner received a salary of $141,156 according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2018
In 2018, the commissioner received a salary of $141,156 according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2017
In 2017, the commissioner received a salary of $141,156 according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
2016
In 2016, the commissioner received a salary of $154,824, according to the Council of State Governments.[17]
2015
In 2015, the commissioner received a salary of $151,044, according to the Council of State Governments.[18]
2014
In 2014, the commissioner's salary increased to $136,350, according to the Council of State Governments.[19]
2013
In 2013, the commissioner was paid an estimated $135,000, according to the Council of State Governments.
Historical officeholders
There have been 24 Alaska commissioners of the department of revenue since 1958.[20]
| List of officeholders, 1958 - Present | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Tenure | |||
| 1 | Peter B. Gatz | 1958-1962 | |||
| 2 | Robert D. Stevenson | 1963-1967 | |||
| 3 | R. L. "Ron" Retting | 1967 | |||
| 4 | George A. Morrison | 1968-1970 | |||
| 5 | Eric E. Wohlforth | 1970-1972 | |||
| 6 | Robert D. Stevenson | 1972-2974 | |||
| 7 | Sterling Gallagher | 1974-1979 | |||
| 8 | Thomas Williams | 1979-1982 | |||
| 9 | Robert D. Heath | 1983-1984 | |||
| 10 | Mary A. Nordale | 1984-1986 | |||
| 11 | Hugh Malone | 1986-1990 | |||
| 12 | Lee E. Fisher | 1990-1991 | |||
| 13 | Darrel Rexwinkel | 1991-1994 | |||
| 14 | Laraine Derr | 1994 | |||
| 15 | Wilson Condon | 1995-2002 | |||
| 16 | William A. Corbus | 2002-2006 | |||
| 17 | Patrick Galvin | 2007-2011 | |||
| 18 | Bryan Butcher | 2011-2013 | |||
| 19 | Angela Rodell | 2013-2014 | |||
| 20 | Randall Hoffbeck | 2014-2017 | |||
| 21 | Sheldon Fisher | 2017-2018 | |||
| 22 | Bruce Tangeman | 2018-2019 | |||
| 23 | Lucinda Mahoney | 2020-2022 | |||
| 24 | Adam Crum | 2022 - 2025 | |||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Alaska Commissioner Revenue. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact info
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 110400
Juneau, AL 99811
Phone: (907) 465-2300
See also
| Alaska | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Alaska Department of Revenue, "Commissioner's Office," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Title 44, Chapter 25, Section 10," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 39.05.050," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 39.05.020," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 44.25.020," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 43.05.010," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑ Alaska Department of Revenue, "Home," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑ Alaska Office of Management and Budget, "Department Totals - FY2025," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 39.20.080," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed November 14, 2014
- ↑ Alaska State Library, Historical Collections, "Commissioners of Alaska Department of Revenue," accessed January 6, 2021
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