OKPOLICY.ORG
HB 2209 (Rep. Marcus McEntire – R. Duncan/Sen. AJ Griffin – R. Guthrie) is good legislation that would help promote better tax policy decisions in Oklahoma by ensuring that legislators and the public know more about who pays taxes and who would stand to gain or lose from proposed tax policy changes.
HB 2209 directs the Oklahoma Tax Commission to prepare a tax incidence report that shows who will pay more or less taxes on any bill that increases, decreases, or redistributes income by more than $20 million, upon the request of the Chair of the committee to which the bill is assigned.
Where Things Stand (as of 5/3)
HB 2209 unanimously passed the full House on March 14th and unanimously passed the Senate on April 26th. It was signed into law by Governor Fallin on May 3rd. Thanks Thanks to all of you who contacted your legislators in support of this bill!
Talking Points
- Information about who pays taxes is critical for making well-informed decisions on tax policy, but it’s largely unavailable to most legislators and their constituents.
- The committee substitute for HB 2209 directs the Oklahoma Tax Commission to prepare a “who pays report” – formally known as a tax incidence report – on any bill that increases, decreases, or redistributes income by more than $20 million, upon the request of the Chair of the committee to which the bill is assigned.
- Oklahoma already requires that revenue measures include a fiscal impact statement estimating how total tax collections will be affected. Knowing who would be the winners and losers under different tax proposals is equally valuable information that should be readily available to policymakers and engaged citizens alike.
You can look up your Senator and Representative here, call the House switchboard at 405-521-2711, and call the Senate switchboard at 405-524-0126.
See our Advocacy Toolkit page for more information and resources.
