Tag: Rep. David Dank

The tax expenditure reform dog: Still not barking

Four months ago, a legislative task force chaired by Rep. David Dank and Sen. Mike Mazzei laid out an ambitious agenda for reforming Oklahoma’s tax expenditures. The group’s recommendations included ending tax credit transferability, enacting caps, sunsets, and regular audits… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma ranked 6th in the nation for tax break safeguards, but serious gaps remain

States are spending billions of dollars per year on corporate tax credits, cash grants and other economic development subsidies that often require little if any job creation and lack wage and benefit standards covering workers at subsidized companies. These are… Read more [More...]

Rep. David Dank: On tax credits, the time for change is now

Rep. David Dank is co-chair of the Tax Credit Task Force. This is his opening statement to the Task Force’s meeting of November 9th. It is reprinted with permission and has been edited for length as indicated by […] The… 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...]

Under the Microscope: Task Force begins work scrutinizing tax credits

The Oklahoma tax code is riddled with some 450 ‘tax expenditures’ that reduce state funds by exempting or giving back tax payments for favored groups and activities. Despite widespread rhetoric about the need for serious reform of  tax expenditures, eliminating… 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...]

The three part test for tax credits – and the fourth part we should be asking

When we discuss government budgets, direct spending receives the most attention by far. Less noticed is the substantial expenditure on tax credits and incentives, what some have called the “submerged state.” That inattention may have allowed several unconstitutional measures to… Read more [More...]

Back to Texas? Income tax proposal stirs up some old memories

“Imagine never having to file an Oklahoma income tax form again, and having no more state income tax withheld from your paycheck.” This is the scenario floated recently in a press release by David Dank, the Chair of the House… Read more [More...]

Taking credit: Task Force explores use and misuse of transferable tax credits

Are tax breaks for businesses a legitimate tool of economic development, or a form of corporate welfare? The fact is they can be either. The challenge is telling the two apart and ensuring through clear legislative language and ongoing oversight… Read more [More...]