Tag: regressive taxes

A low tax state for who?

Like most state tax systems, Oklahoma takes a much larger share from middle- and low-income families than from wealthy families, according to the fourth edition of “Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States,” released… Read more [More...]

Who pays state and federal taxes in Oklahoma — in 2 charts

[Update: A previous version of chart #1 incorrectly said 2011. The chart is based on 2009/2010 American Community Survey data.] 1) 44 percent of Oklahomans owed no federal income tax in 2010. The vast majority were workers, elderly, disabled, or… Read more [More...]

Easier to shop in Kansas than move to Texas: Why replacing income tax with consumption tax is bad for Oklahoma's economy

Many state political and business leaders are clamoring to do away with Oklahoma’s personal income tax, the state’s single largest revenue source, while acknowledging the need to maintain sufficient tax revenue to fund basic services. One influential participant in the… Read more [More...]

Can we stop the runaway train of tax expenditures?

In an earlier post, we discussed tax breaks that had been extended or newly created in the most recent legislative session. The governor promised to eliminate tax credits that “do not create jobs,” but there were no successful bills to… Read more [More...]

Tax cuts do not have to be regressive

A recent OK Policy fact sheet that analyzed the distribution of  benefits from cutting the state’s top personal income tax rate from 5.5 to 5.25 percent  has generated considerable interest and discussion. The tax cut would have a $120 million… Read more [More...]

Limiting itemized deductions would improve the fairness and adequacy of the state income tax

Earlier this year, we called attention to one of the stranger loopholes in the Oklahoma tax code, the case of the “double deduction” of state income taxes.  Federal tax law allows taxpayers who itemize their deductions to claim a deduction… Read more [More...]