Recent Articles

Statement: Elimination of grocery sales tax is far too little support for low- and middle-income families

While elimination of the state portion of the grocery sales tax provides a measure of financial relief to some Oklahomans, it’s far too little support for our low - and middle-income families and seniors who need it most.  [More...]

Statement: Eliminating the state portion of grocery sales tax isn’t the most effective way to deliver fiscal relief

Given available options, eliminating the state portion of the sales tax on groceries is neither fiscally responsible nor the most effective way to put money back in pockets of everyday Oklahomans. [More...]

Statement regarding the governor’s latest call for special session (Jan 2024)

On Tuesday, the governor issued a call for a special session on Jan. 29, asking lawmakers to pass a .25-percent cut to the state’s personal income tax.   Statement from the Oklahoma Policy Institute:  Instead of grandstanding with yet another… Read more [More...]

New national study shows Oklahoma’s tax system worsens inequality, among the nation’s most unfair

Oklahoma’s tax system is upside-down, with everyday Oklahomans paying a far greater share of their income in taxes than wealthy residents. Proposals to eliminate the state’s income tax would widen this disparity, according to the latest edition of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy’s Who Pays?, the only distributional analysis of tax systems in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. [More...]

Join our team as a Senior Policy Analyst for Fiscal Policy

UPDATE: This search has closed. # # # The Oklahoma Policy Institute is currently hiring for:  Senior Policy Analyst, Fiscal Policy Our Senior Policy Analyst supports OK Policy through policy staff supervision and development, and nonpartisan research and analysis. This… Read more [More...]

Join our team as a Regional Organizer for Central Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Policy Institute is currently hiring for:  Regional Organizer, Central Oklahoma Our Regional Organizer supports OK Policy by providing structured leadership in the development and implementation of community-based advocacy actions that further policy goals identified by OK Policy, and… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma has too many unmet needs to slash revenue | #MyOklahoma

Lawmakers have been asked to consider sweeping tax cuts — including eliminating the personal income tax, which is one of the state’s largest revenue sources. Gov. Stitt has called the legislature back for an Oct. 3 special session to consider… Read more [More...]

2022 Census data: Oklahoma remains among the nation’s poorest states; policy solutions can help reverse this trend

Data from the Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey released Sep. 14 show that Oklahoma’s poverty rate was 15.7 percent, which was the nation’s 8th highest. The national poverty rate in 2022 was 11.5 percent, and Oklahoma’s ranking among states remained unchanged compared to 2021. [More...]

Statement: Gov. Stitt’s comments on individual income tax are short-sighted for Oklahoma’s long-term success

Gov. Stitt this week appeared on the national news to suggest that Oklahoma should eliminate its state income tax. Such short-sighted comments ignore the realities of governing.  The individual income tax is Oklahoma’s largest single revenue source for state government… Read more [More...]

KIDS COUNT 2023 Report Shows Oklahoma Ranks 46th for Child Well-Being

The rankings from the new Annie E. Casey Foundation report show Oklahoma’s poor child well-being outcomes. These results demonstrate the impact of the state’s ongoing disinvestment in programs and services that help our children thrive, including helping parents get affordable,… Read more [More...]