"once a tax is levied it will never, ever go away"

Your wrong DA. The income tax went away. 
 Alaska used to have a state income tax until 1980 when we were flush with 
"new" oil revenues.  
We need it again, now that oil prices no longer support paying the 90% of state needs it used to.  Time to grow up and pay our way like every other state in the Union. And haven`t you ever heard of a sunset clause?  
Spending our savings to continue oil subsidies like the republicans in the Alaska legislature want to do is DOA!