Recent Articles

Rep. David Dank: On tax credits, the time for change is now

Rep. David Dank is co-chair of the Tax Credit Task Force. This is his opening statement to the Task Force’s meeting of November 9th. It is reprinted with permission and has been edited for length as indicated by […] The… Read more [More...]

Guest Blog (Dr. James Utterback): OETA is vital to the public education mission of Oklahoma

James W. Utterback, Ph.D. is President of Seminole State College and Chair of the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority Board. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not reflect the opinions of OETA or any other group… Read more [More...]

Stop Flying Blind: Three sensible reforms to help us chart a stable fiscal course

Oklahoma is facing serious challenges when it comes to having the resources to provide the sorts of public services that help create jobs and build a strong economy. Yet while the need to chart a sound, sustainable fiscal course is… Read more [More...]

Interview with Michael Mazerov: Oklahoma can put an end to abusive corporate tax shelters

Michael Mazerov is a Senior Fellow with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, where he specializes in state and local taxation of businesses. This interview was conducted by e-mail on October 25, 2011. For additional information on combined reporting,… Read more [More...]

It's not the personal income tax

Why do some companies choose to locate their businesses  in Texas rather than Oklahoma? During the first two meetings of the Task Force on Comprehensive Tax Reform, co-chair Representative David Dank has stated repeatedly that the absence of the personal… Read more [More...]

State cost of health care reform likely to be modest and could yield net savings

Under the new national health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), one major strategy for providing health insurance coverage to the 50 million Americans who are currently uninsured is an expansion of eligibility in the Medicaid… Read more [More...]

The Supercommittee and the states

Though revenue collections continue to show steady growth, state budgets remain under great stress. After three successive years of funding cuts, most state agencies are operating this year with appropriations that are at least 10 percent less than prior to… Read more [More...]

Revenue from voter-approved "sin taxes" still growing

In 2004, Oklahoma voters approved a series of measures intended to raise new revenues for education and health care through a state lottery (SQ 705 and 706), gaming compacts (SQ 712), and increased tobacco taxes (SQ 713).  OK Policy has… Read more [More...]

Interview with Steven Dow: Rules are rules

Note: In September, the Attorney General’s office issued a letter addressing whether the Oklahoma Commission for Human Services had acted improperly in approving changes to the state’s child care subsidy program at a June meeting without going through the official… Read more [More...]

Easier to shop in Kansas than move to Texas: Why replacing income tax with consumption tax is bad for Oklahoma's economy

Many state political and business leaders are clamoring to do away with Oklahoma’s personal income tax, the state’s single largest revenue source, while acknowledging the need to maintain sufficient tax revenue to fund basic services. One influential participant in the… Read more [More...]