Tag: Economic downturn

Good times don't last forever

Last week, Gov. Fallin announced a plan to fix the state’s decaying bridges by 2019. The proposal involves putting more money in the ROADS fund, which receives a portion of income tax revenues that would otherwise go to the state’s… Read more [More...]

Read This: Can the middle class be saved?

Anyone concerned about the impact that long-term and short-term changes in the American economy are having on the working families that form the pillar of the American middle class should read the cover article in this month’s Atlantic monthly, “Can… Read more [More...]

Quick Take: Revenues rebounding but still way down from pre-downturn levels

This week, State Finance Director Preston Doerflinger announced General Revenue (GR) collections for May.  For the month, GR was $36 million, or 9.5 percent, above May 2010 and $25.4 million, or 6.5 percent, above the certified estimate. May collections would… Read more [More...]

Budget cuts are a choice

In a recent article on state budget negotiations, House Speaker Kris Steele said he and other state leaders are “doing our best to minimize the cuts” to core agencies. He contrasted the treatment of core agencies to the larger cuts… Read more [More...]

Cutting the top income tax rate: Who benefits?

[UPDATE: You can download ITEP’s analysis here.] Yesterday the Senate voted to abolish the state income tax after Sen. Tom Adelson (D-Tulsa) introduced the measure as an amendment to another bill. With public services heavily dependent on income tax and… Read more [More...]

Quick Take: Revenues rebounding – – except for the income tax

The latest monthly report of General Revenue (GR) collections announced by Treasurer Ken Miller provided the strongest indications yet that state revenues are on a firm path to recovery. For the 11th time in the past 12 months, monthly revenue… Read more [More...]

New issue brief: Let's focus on more than "this year's shortfall"

Today OK Policy released “A New Fiscal Reality for Oklahoma: The State Budget Outlook, 2011-2014,” our second annual multi-year budget forecast. Click here for the full 10-page brief or here for the 1-page summary. Dangerously nerdy readers also can check… Read more [More...]

Play it again: Why government can't be run more like a business

Note: As the economy continues to struggle and revenue collections remain well below pre-downturn levels, we thought this a good time to repost a blog we first ran in January of this year challenging an argument we continue to hear… Read more [More...]

Chart of the Day: Economy has lost over 9 million full-time, year-round jobs

Today the U.S. Census Bureau will release a new set of income, poverty and health insurance data based on the American Community Survey. This survey is the one recommended for state-level analysis, and we will be analyzing its data carefully… Read more [More...]

State revenue forecasts: Looking backward

Last year at this time, OK Policy began a revenue forecasting project. Our efforts stemmed from the limitations of official revenue forecasting efforts, which are limited to two annual forecasts prepared for the Board of Equalization, issued in December and… Read more [More...]