Former Executive Director David Blatt joined OK Policy in 2008 and served as its Executive Director from 2010 to 2019. He previously served as Director of Public Policy for Community Action Project of Tulsa County and as a budget analyst for the Oklahoma State Senate. He has a Ph.D. in political science from Cornell University and a B.A. from the University of Alberta. David has been selected as Political Scientist of the Year by the Oklahoma Political Science Association, Local Social Justice Champion by the Dan Allen Center for Social Justice, and Public Citizen of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers.
By: David Blatt
February 18, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The 2015 session is now underway and it’s clear that this year, as always, will feature heated debates on a multitude of contentious issues, from proposals to expand school choice through vouchers and charter schools to efforts to rein in… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 16, 2015 // Updated: August 17, 2023
The Rainy Day Fund (formally known as the Constitutional Reserve Fund) was created in 1985 in response to a dramatic revenue downturn. It is designed to collect extra funds when times are good and to spend those funds when revenues… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 13, 2015 // Updated: April 14, 2021
House Bill 1017, the Education Reform Act of 1990, was landmark legislation that funded a broad range of education initiatives through increased taxes. The Legislature appropriated more than $560 million over five years to implement a wide range of reform… Read more [More...]
The 1017 Fund, or Education Reform Revolving Fund, is a dedicated revenue fund that is appropriated to the State Department of Education. The fund initially consisted of personal and corporate income tax, sales tax, and use tax revenues attributable to… Read more [More...]
Until the end of 2023, Oklahoma levied a franchise tax on all corporations or associations doing business in the state. Corporations were taxed $1.25 for each $1,000 of capital invested or otherwise used in Oklahoma up to a maximum levy… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 12, 2015 // Updated: August 3, 2023
Gross production taxes, or severance taxes, are value-based taxes levied at a basic rate of 7 percent upon the production of oil and gas in Oklahoma. Under legislation approved in the 2017 special session (HB 1010xx), oil and gas from… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 9, 2015 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Ten years after Oklahoma voters approved gaming compacts with Native American tribes and racetrack gaming, the state is collecting over $140 million annually as its share of gaming revenues. However, years of growth in gaming revenue have now ended, which… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 5, 2015 // Updated: May 4, 2024
The Sales Tax Relief Credit is an income tax credit that provides a rebate of $40 per household member to households with incomes at or below the following levels:
$50,000 per year for filers who are elderly, have a physical… Read more [More...]
The Quality Jobs program is a state tax incentive program, created in 1993, that provides a quarterly cash payment to qualified companies of up to 5 percent of new taxable payroll. The incentive targets manufacturers and certain other industries that… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 4, 2015 // Updated: August 9, 2023
The Investment/New Job tax credit is a credit allowed on Oklahoma income tax. The credit can be claimed either on an investment in depreciable property or on the addition of full-time-equivalent employees engaged in manufacturing, processing, or aircraft maintenance.
The… Read more [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
The 2015 session is now underway and it’s clear that this year, as always, will feature heated debates on a multitude of contentious issues, from proposals to expand school choice through vouchers and charter schools to efforts to rein in… Read more [More...]
Ten years after Oklahoma voters approved gaming compacts with Native American tribes and racetrack gaming, the state is collecting over $140 million annually as its share of gaming revenues. However, years of growth in gaming revenue have now ended, which… Read more [More...]
