Category: Press Releases & Statements

STATEMENT: Education rally points to a better strategy for Oklahoma

Oklahoma Policy Institute Executive Director David Blatt released the following statement in response to the rally for education funding today at the State Capitol: The tens of thousands who rallied at the Capitol today should be a wake-up call to… Read more [More...]

Impact of tax cuts on Kansas offers a warning to Oklahoma

As Oklahoma considers tax cuts similar to those that took effect in Kansas last year, a new report shows that following in Kansas’s footsteps is a bad idea.  Kansas’s massive tax cuts have failed to improve the state’s economic performance,… Read more [More...]

Report Lays Out Options for a Balanced Approach to Filling the Budget Hole

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, March 25, 2014 Contact: David Blatt (918) 859-8747(918) 859-8747   (TULSA, OK):  Despite a drop in revenue certified as available for next year’s budget, a new brief from Oklahoma Policy Institute shows that budget cuts are not… Read more [More...]

Poll shows support for cutting income tax has dropped significantly

A new poll shows that over the last year, support for cutting Oklahoma’s personal income tax has dropped significantly among voters statewide, and less than half now support the plan to reduce the state’s top rate. Support drops even further… Read more [More...]

STATEMENT: Tax cut defies economics and common sense

Oklahoma Policy Institute released the following statement in response to the House passage of HB 2508 to schedule more personal and corporate income tax cuts for 2016: More tax cuts that will provide little or no benefit to most people… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma ranks worst in the nation for long-term budget planning

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oklahoma ranked last out of all fifty states for long-term budget planning, according to a major new report from the Washington, DC-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The report ranks the states according to how well… Read more [More...]

STATEMENT: Governor Fallin’s budget would make bad situation worse

Oklahoma Policy Institute released the following statement in response to Governor Fallin’s 2015 state budget proposal: Oklahoma already faces a difficult challenge this year to balance the budget without harming important services. Governor Fallin’s proposed budget takes a bad situation… Read more [More...]

STATEMENT: State Chamber study fails to make persuasive case for maintaining oil and gas subsidies

For Immediate Release: January 14, 2014 Oklahoma Policy Institute released the following statement about the State Chamber of Oklahoma’s report defending tax breaks for horizontal drilling, which are costing the state over $250 million annually in lost revenue: The State… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma leaders convening for State Budget Summit, January 16

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 8, 2014 CONTACT: David Blatt, (918) 794-3944, dblatt@okpolicy.org As Oklahoma grapples with the possibility of another budget shortfall, top state and national experts will gather at a public event to discuss the state’s finances. On Thursday,… Read more [More...]

STATEMENT: Striking down of tax cut offers a lifeline to lawmakers

Oklahoma Policy Institute released the following statement in response to the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s decision to strike down HB 2032, the income tax cut and capitol repairs law, because it violates the single subject rule in Oklahoma’s Constitution: The Supreme… Read more [More...]