Recent Articles

New poll shows Oklahomans oppose income tax cut proposals

A poll released today by the Oklahoma Advocacy Project reveals strong opposition among Oklahomans to proposals for reducing and eliminating the state income tax. The poll finds that large majorities oppose a tax cut if it means less funding for… Read more [More...]

(Oklahoma Economic Report) Natural Gas: Beneath the surface

This article appeared in the April 2012 edition of the Oklahoma Economic Report, a publication of the Office of State Treasurer Ken Miller. It is reprinted here in its entirety with permission. It seems that each day brings another story… Read more [More...]

The sure path to economic prosperity

What is the best course for strengthening Oklahoma’s economy and providing broad-based benefits for Oklahoma families? Proponents of cutting or eliminating the state’s personal income tax claim that doing so will boost the state’s economy. However, as University of Oklahoma… Read more [More...]

Tax cuts of the mid-2000’s did not spark revenue growth

[NOTE: This post has been corrected to fix an error in the units used when describing the price of oil.] Despite frequent claims by proponents of cutting or eliminating Oklahoma’s personal income tax , it is a myth that tax… Read more [More...]

Guest Blog (Steve Ellis): Evidence and Ideology: Beyond ECON 101

Stephen Ellis, Ph.D., is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Oklahoma. His research areas include philosophy of economics, decision theory, philosophy of mind and ethics. The debate about the degree to which economics supports drastic… Read more [More...]

The dream – or the nightmare – of a day without taxes

As the income tax filing deadline approaches, we return to a favorite blog post from our friend Paul Shinn that we first ran in 2009. You may also enjoy this video tribute to the many things we can be thankful… Read more [More...]

Stumbling revenue collections should signal caution

Over the past two years, Oklahoma’s revenue collections have been on a steady path to recovery. For the first nine months of FY 2012, collections to the General Revenue fund (GR) are up 22 percent compared to the same period… Read more [More...]

Graph of the Day: State funding shrinks sharply

In a recent editorial, the Tulsa World questioned the call that is frequently heard to ‘right-size’ state government. After three successive years of deep cuts to public services, the editorial asked ‘where does it end?’: But how do we define… Read more [More...]

Guest Post (Ken Fergesen): Taxes are essential for Oklahoma's quality of life

Ken Fergesen, a resident of Altus, is Chairman of NBC Oklahoma, and is active in banking, farming, civic, social and cultural organizations.. He is a past President of the State Chamber of Commerce. I am really concerned about our State. … Read more [More...]

Action Alert: It's time to make your voice heard on tax cuts

The income tax has been the top subject of debate this legislative session. Governor Fallin and some legislative leaders have promoted “bold proposals” to cut, and ultimately repeal, the state personal income tax.Yet after three straight years of budget cuts,… Read more [More...]