Alaska Trust Act

Alaska Trust Act

A 1997 state law in Alaska that allows any American to place assets in an irrevocable trust that protects those assets from creditors and, in some circumstances, excludes them from the grantor's estate for tax purposes. In order for a trust to fall under the jurisdiction of the Act, at least one of the trustees must live or have a business in Alaska and the trust's records must be maintained in Alaska. Additionally, a certain percentage of the administration of the trust must take place in Alaska. The Act effectively made Alaska a tax shelter along the lines of the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, and other offshore locations.