Fact Check: Did Palin cut taxes in Alaska?

The Statement:

At a debate Thursday, Oct. 2 in St. Louis, Missouri, Republican vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin touted her record of cutting taxes as a mayor and as governor of Alaska. "As mayor, every year I was in office, I did reduce taxes. I eliminated personal property taxes and eliminated small business inventory taxes. And as governor, we suspended our state fuel tax," she said.

Get the facts!

The Facts:
As the mayor of the town of Wasilla from 1996 to 2002, Palin did cut property taxes repeatedly: The city's property tax rate was cut by three-quarters during her tenure and eliminated after she left office. But she also raised sales taxes by one-quarter - from 2 percent to 2.5 percent - to finance a $14.7 million sports complex that remains in the red.

As governor, a job she won in 2006, she did suspend state fuel taxes. But she also raised taxes on oil companies and used some of the increased revenue - buoyed by higher market prices for crude - to increase the annual dividend each resident receives by $1,200.

The Verdict:
True, but incomplete. She cut some taxes in both posts, but raised others.