newsminer.com

The size of the Permanent Fund Dividend for 2008 is to be announced Friday at 10:30 a.m. by Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell and Revenue Commissioner Pat Galvin.

The dividend is expected to be in the $2,000 to $2,100 range, according to some estimates.

Added to that will be $1,200 from the state energy rebate proposed by the governor and approved this summer by the governor.

For a family of four, the total will be in the $12,000 range. Most Alaskans signed up for direct deposit, which will take place next Friday, an infusion of cash that will swell bank accounts by hundreds of millions.

Dividend recipients are the only ones eligible for the energy rebate.

The state gave Alaskans the option of declining the $1,200 energy rebate. Two people from Anchorage, who are related, filed the paperwork to not accept the money.

The dividend last year was $1,654 and this year's may be a record. The highest previous amount was $1,963.86 in 2000.