Category: Media

Yin and yang: What would an ideal Oklahoma tax system look like? (Journal Record)

by The Journal Record Members of a tax reform task force heard from policy groups on both sides Thursday, as officials with the Oklahoma Policy Institute and Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs presented their views on what the state’s tax… Read more [More...]

Flip It to Fix It: An Immediate, Fair Solution to State Budget Shortfalls

Contact: David Blatt, dblatt@okpolicy.org, (918) 794-3944 Shannon Moriarty, smoriarty@faireconomy.org, (617) 824-0069 United for a Fair Economy Releases Flip It to Fix It: An Immediate, Fair Solution to State Budget Shortfalls, Documents Current Regressive State Tax Structures A new study has… Read more [More...]

When government gets too small (Tulsa World)

Original at http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/post.aspx/?When_government_gets_too_small/30-11182  by Wayne Greene, Tulsa World David Blatt, director of the Oklahoma Policy Institute, made an interesting argument that state government is getting too small Friday morning at the Dilly Deli. During a recession that has caused consecutive… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma Policy Institute press revenue options to avoid agency cuts (CapitolBeatOK)

Original at http://capitolbeatok.com/_webapp_3867662/David_Blatt,_Oklahoma_Policy_Institute_press_revenue_options_to_avoid_agency_cuts by Patrick McGuigan, CapitolBeatOK Over recent weeks, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin has asked for ideas on avoiding further budget cuts for state agencies. Oklahoma Policy Institute, a “think tank” based in Tulsa, has responded with a list… Read more [More...]

Institute suggests options for protecting services (Associated Press)

Original at http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9MJ20Q00.htm By Tim Talley, Associated Press A research group that studies state policy issues said Wednesday budget writers should consider closing income tax loopholes, eliminating some sales tax exemptions and tapping non-appropriated state revenue to prevent potentially drastic… Read more [More...]

Drilling tax breaks add up (Tulsa World)

Original at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=16&articleid=20110329_16_A9_Thesta937208 By WAYNE GREENE World Senior Writer The state has lost $517 million in tax revenue in the past seven years because of exemptions to the gross production tax – the lion’s share of that going to deep… Read more [More...]

Report: Tax cuts won’t benefit most state households (Tulsa World)

Original at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110314_16_A1_Eighty571069 By RANDY KREHBIEL World Staff Writer Eighty percent of Oklahoma households would see little or no direct benefit from an impending quarter-percent income tax cut, according to a report issued last week by the Oklahoma Policy Institute.… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma poverty a chronic, unaddressed problem (Tulsa World)

Original at http://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/article.aspx?subjectid=61&articleid=20110313_211_G1_CUTLIN746470 By JANET PEARSON Associate Editor The economy is showing some modest signs of recovery in Oklahoma, but for a staggering number of Oklahoma families, that’s not the case. In fact, if anything, the consequences of poverty are… Read more [More...]

Tax policy rarely devoid of wedge-driving arguments (Oklahoman)

Original at http://newsok.com/tax-policy-rarely-devoid-of-wedge-driving-arguments/article/3547959 By The Oklahoma Editorial Board A truly “fair” income tax system would assess everyone, rich or poor, at the same level and offer no exemptions or deductions. Public policy is rarely based solely on fairness, though, so… Read more [More...]

New Fact Sheet Shows State Appropriated Spending Is at a Thirty-Year Low

Contact: David Blatt, Director Cell: (918) 859-8747; Office: (918) 794-3944 Oklahoma’s Economy Grows, Spending on Public Services Lags (Tulsa, March 1, 2011): A new fact sheet released today by Oklahoma Policy Institute reveals that the state appropriated budget in relation… Read more [More...]