Aanahita Irani Ervin joined OK Policy Institute as a Fiscal Policy Analyst in May 2024. She calls Oklahoma City and Mumbai, India home having been raised in both cities. She earned her undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 2022 and her Master of Public Policy from the Sanford School at Duke University in 2024. She began her policy journey wanting to merge science with policy to help address climate change. She soon realized her wide array of interests in criminal justice reform to food insecurity and how they are inextricably linked to poverty. Fiscal policy undergirds all policies because without financial backing, policies have no power. Aanahita is excited to use her skills to positively transform Oklahoma’s fiscal policy landscape to better serve everyday Oklahomans. When not working, she enjoys admiring Oklahoma’s sunsets, cooking meals, and taking rejuvenating naps.
Public education is the foundation of a strong workforce and equal opportunity. It creates pathways for upward mobility and economic growth. In Oklahoma, however, that foundation is increasingly at risk. While lawmakers claim to prioritize public schools, current legislative efforts… Read more [More...]
Oklahomans are frustrated by rising housing costs, but this session, lawmakers are targeting the wrong culprit. While property taxes are drawing most of the attention at the Capitol this year, the real cost surge — homeowners’ insurance — remains largely… Read more [More...]
Property taxes are essential for Oklahoma’s local communities. Also referred to as ad valorem taxes, they pay for the basics we all count on—public schools, safe roads, and reliable police and fire protection. Unlike other taxes, property taxes go straight… Read more [More...]
From OK Policy’s Fiscal Policy Analyst Aanahita Irani Ervin:
At February’s Board of Equalization meeting, one urgent fact stood out: Oklahoma is shifting the cost of essential services onto low- and middle-income families. Year-over-year comparisons show the state is experiencing… Read more [More...]
Broadening Oklahoma’s tax base sounds like common sense. Put simply, broadening the tax base means increasing the number of people to whom a tax applies, an approach viewed favorably by lawmakers from both political parties. Broadening the tax base is… Read more [More...]
•Watch the Dec. 19, 2025 Board of Equalization meeting (YouTube)
•Proposed FY 2027 Revenue Certification
•Board of Equalization packets
•Learn more about Revenue Certification
The Oklahoma Board of Equalization estimated $8.35 billion of funds available for the Governor’s budget proposal… Read more [More...]
• SQ 832: Information and Resources
• What you need to know about the minimum wage in Oklahoma
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated starting salaries at Hobby Lobby, which raised its full-time hourly minimum wage to $20.15… Read more [More...]
Four years of federal surplus propping up Oklahoma's budget is not enough to save the state's budget. For the budget year beginning July 1, 2025 (Fiscal Year 2026), state agencies will have $12.08 billion to spend. [More...]
As usual, Oklahoma’s legislative session ended with a flurry of fiscal and budget bills in the last two weeks of the session. The legislature has one constitutional requirement every year: pass a balanced budget. In doing so, the legislature decides… Read more [More...]
Automatic triggered tax cuts provide little to no financial relief for low- and middle-income families, jeopardize the state's fiscal health, and limit investment in Oklahoma's already underfunded public services. [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
Public education is the foundation of a strong workforce and equal opportunity. It creates pathways for upward mobility and economic growth. In Oklahoma, however, that foundation is increasingly at risk. While lawmakers claim to prioritize public schools, current legislative efforts… Read more [More...]
Oklahomans are frustrated by rising housing costs, but this session, lawmakers are targeting the wrong culprit. While property taxes are drawing most of the attention at the Capitol this year, the real cost surge — homeowners’ insurance — remains largely… Read more [More...]
Property taxes are essential for Oklahoma’s local communities. Also referred to as ad valorem taxes, they pay for the basics we all count on—public schools, safe roads, and reliable police and fire protection. Unlike other taxes, property taxes go straight… Read more [More...]
From OK Policy’s Fiscal Policy Analyst Aanahita Irani Ervin:
At February’s Board of Equalization meeting, one urgent fact stood out: Oklahoma is shifting the cost of essential services onto low- and middle-income families. Year-over-year comparisons show the state is experiencing… Read more [More...]
Broadening Oklahoma’s tax base sounds like common sense. Put simply, broadening the tax base means increasing the number of people to whom a tax applies, an approach viewed favorably by lawmakers from both political parties. Broadening the tax base is… Read more [More...]
•Watch the Dec. 19, 2025 Board of Equalization meeting (YouTube)
•Proposed FY 2027 Revenue Certification
•Board of Equalization packets
•Learn more about Revenue Certification
The Oklahoma Board of Equalization estimated $8.35 billion of funds available for the Governor’s budget proposal… Read more [More...]
• SQ 832: Information and Resources
• What you need to know about the minimum wage in Oklahoma
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated starting salaries at Hobby Lobby, which raised its full-time hourly minimum wage to $20.15… Read more [More...]
Four years of federal surplus propping up Oklahoma's budget is not enough to save the state's budget. For the budget year beginning July 1, 2025 (Fiscal Year 2026), state agencies will have $12.08 billion to spend. [More...]
As usual, Oklahoma’s legislative session ended with a flurry of fiscal and budget bills in the last two weeks of the session. The legislature has one constitutional requirement every year: pass a balanced budget. In doing so, the legislature decides… Read more [More...]
Automatic triggered tax cuts provide little to no financial relief for low- and middle-income families, jeopardize the state's fiscal health, and limit investment in Oklahoma's already underfunded public services. [More...]
