Author: Oklahoma Policy Institute

New Report Finds State Costs Under Health Care Reform Are Likely to be Modest

Contact: David Blatt, Director Office: (918) 794-3944; Cell: (918) 859-8747 Projections that the new federal health care law will impose billions of dollars of additional cost on the state budget are way out of line with other studies and based… Read more [More...]

Fact Sheets: Lottery, Gaming and Tobacco

In 2004, Oklahoma voters approved a series of measures that created the Oklahoma Education Lottery (SQ 705 & SQ 706), authorized and regulated tribal and racetrack gaming (SQ 712) and increased tobacco taxes (SQ 713) to generate new revenues to… Read more [More...]

STATEMENT: Governor’s plan to fix bridges demonstrates need to preserve income tax

Oklahoma Policy Institute released the following statement in response to Governor Fallin’s announcement of her plan for repairing Oklahoma bridges: We welcome Governor Fallin’s focus on fixing Oklahoma’s crumbling bridges. However, we must note that her proposal would be paid… Read more [More...]

Health Care Reform and the State Budget: Savings likely to fully or partly offset modest new costs

An OK Policy issue brief looks at the expected impact of the new federal health care law, the Affordable Care Act, on the state budget. Its main findings: Most studies of the impact of the Affordable Care Act have concluded… Read more [More...]

Income tax proposal would do lasting damage to state’s prosperity

Contact: David Blatt, dblatt@okpolicy.org, (918) 859-8747 Oklahoma Policy Institute finds that task force’s income tax proposal would do lasting damage to state’s prosperity  A new report on economic development prepared for Governor Fallin includes some worthwhile ideas, but its suggestions… Read more [More...]

OK Policy director paints grim picture for Chamber (Claremore Progress)

Original at http://claremoreprogress.com/local/x1126802467/OK-Policy-director-paints-grim-picture-for-Chamber by Tom Fink, Claremore Progress CLAREMORE – Oklahoma Policy Institute Director David Blatt used figures and charts to draw a somber picture of the state’s budgetary situation  to members of the Claremore Chamber of Commerce last week.… Read more [More...]

Yin and yang: What would an ideal Oklahoma tax system look like? (Journal Record)

by The Journal Record Members of a tax reform task force heard from policy groups on both sides Thursday, as officials with the Oklahoma Policy Institute and Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs presented their views on what the state’s tax… Read more [More...]

Presentation to the Oklahoma Task Force on Comprehensive Tax Reform

Oklahoma Policy Institute presented to the Task Force on Comprehensive Tax Reform on September 15, 2011. You can view the presentation here or download it as a PDF. Readcoverage of the meeting from the Oklahoman or meeting notes taklen by… Read more [More...]

Early Childhood Fiscal Map

For a project funded by Smart Start Oklahoma, Oklahoma Policy Institute developed a fiscal map of the federal, state, local, and private supports for young children in our state. Read more... [More...]

Should Oklahoma Raise the Alcoholic Beverage Tax?

Taxes on activities that negatively impact the public good, sometimes known as “sin taxes,” are one form of taxation that has historically received widespread support. An OK Policy issue brief makes the case that increasing Oklahoma’s tax on alcoholic beverages… Read more [More...]