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
March 28, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
In the final days of the 2010 session, when legislative leaders were faced with historic revenue shortfalls and were desperate for ways to balance the budget, a deal was struck with representatives of the energy industry on oil and gas… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 22, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
On April 5th, Oklahoma Policy Institute is hosting a forum, “Eliminating the Income Tax: Silver Bullet or Fool’s Gold,” from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. Several of Oklahoma’s most respected economists and economic… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 20, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
As Oklahoma’s tax debate unfolds, it has been encouraging to hear a rising chorus of influential voices insist that any tax plan must be revenue neutral. Given deep cuts that state agencies have absorbed in recent years and the long-term… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 15, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The push to eliminate Oklahoma’s personal income tax relies heavily for intellectual support on a study done for the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs by economist Arthur Laffer and his colleagues at Aduin, Laffer & Moore econometrics. Last month we… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 14, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The share of income Oklahomans pay in state taxes has fallen to its lowest point in decades. In 2010, Oklahomans paid just 5.5 percent of their total income in state taxes. This includes sales tax, income tax, motor vehicle tax,… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 8, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
For the past 27 years, a statewide network of Area Health Education Centers (OKAHEC) has worked to increase the supply of primary care providers and improve access to health care in Oklahoma’s rural and underserved communities. Now this program is… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 5, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Could doing away with Oklahoma’s income tax shift taxes not only onto low and middle–income families but also from urban areas to rural areas? Many programs, services, and incentives important for rural Oklahoma rely on our existing revenue structure and… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
March 1, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
A new study of state tax costs on business from the Tax Foundation ranks Oklahoma fifth best in the nation for new firms and 16th best for mature firms. Among states in the region, Oklahoma ranked second lowest in business… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 28, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
John Thompson is a former Oklahoma historian and inner city teacher who is now an education writer focusing on inner city schools.
When Oklahoma’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waiver was granted, local news celebrated a new era of “freedom… Read more [More...]
By: David Blatt
February 27, 2012 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The personal income tax is Oklahoma’s largest single revenue source. In 2011, the state collected $2.412 billion from the personal income tax, or slightly less than one in three dollars (31.7 percent) of total state tax collections. With a strong… Read more [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
In the final days of the 2010 session, when legislative leaders were faced with historic revenue shortfalls and were desperate for ways to balance the budget, a deal was struck with representatives of the energy industry on oil and gas… Read more [More...]
On April 5th, Oklahoma Policy Institute is hosting a forum, “Eliminating the Income Tax: Silver Bullet or Fool’s Gold,” from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. Several of Oklahoma’s most respected economists and economic… Read more [More...]
As Oklahoma’s tax debate unfolds, it has been encouraging to hear a rising chorus of influential voices insist that any tax plan must be revenue neutral. Given deep cuts that state agencies have absorbed in recent years and the long-term… Read more [More...]
The push to eliminate Oklahoma’s personal income tax relies heavily for intellectual support on a study done for the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs by economist Arthur Laffer and his colleagues at Aduin, Laffer & Moore econometrics. Last month we… Read more [More...]
The share of income Oklahomans pay in state taxes has fallen to its lowest point in decades. In 2010, Oklahomans paid just 5.5 percent of their total income in state taxes. This includes sales tax, income tax, motor vehicle tax,… Read more [More...]
For the past 27 years, a statewide network of Area Health Education Centers (OKAHEC) has worked to increase the supply of primary care providers and improve access to health care in Oklahoma’s rural and underserved communities. Now this program is… Read more [More...]
Could doing away with Oklahoma’s income tax shift taxes not only onto low and middle–income families but also from urban areas to rural areas? Many programs, services, and incentives important for rural Oklahoma rely on our existing revenue structure and… Read more [More...]
A new study of state tax costs on business from the Tax Foundation ranks Oklahoma fifth best in the nation for new firms and 16th best for mature firms. Among states in the region, Oklahoma ranked second lowest in business… Read more [More...]
John Thompson is a former Oklahoma historian and inner city teacher who is now an education writer focusing on inner city schools.
When Oklahoma’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waiver was granted, local news celebrated a new era of “freedom… Read more [More...]
The personal income tax is Oklahoma’s largest single revenue source. In 2011, the state collected $2.412 billion from the personal income tax, or slightly less than one in three dollars (31.7 percent) of total state tax collections. With a strong… Read more [More...]
