Tag: tax cuts

Year-end revenue reports show the way to keep moving Oklahoma forward

In the coming years, state leaders will have to address short-term needs to support programs that improve Oklahomans’ health, safety, careers, and infrastructure, even as they face a growing long-term structural budget deficit. [More...]

What’s unaffordable?

In her 2013 State of the State address, Governor Mary Fallin reiterated her opposition to accepting federal dollars to provide coverage to uninsured Oklahomans through Medicaid, as provided under the Affordable Care Act. In states that extend Medicaid, the federal… Read more [More...]

The tax shift returns

Yesterday, Senator Patrick Anderson (R-Enid) filed legislation to replace Oklahoma’s income tax with a flat tax of 2.95 percent. Anderson’s bill would do away with Oklahoma’s current tax brackets and eliminate all income tax deductions, credits and exemptions, including credits… Read more [More...]

The matter with Kansas

Earlier this year, while Oklahoma lawmakers were adjourning their legislative session without a final agreement on Governor Fallin’s top priority of cutting the income tax, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback was celebrating his state’s adoption of major income tax changes. Governor… Read more [More...]

For Oklahoma voters, education funding cuts are a major concern

As students head back to school this month, they will encounter an education system facing a crisis in funding. Over the past four years, state support for public schools has been slashed by $220 million, or  11 percent, while school… Read more [More...]

Quick Take: New fiscal year off to mixed start

This week’s announcement of General Revenue (GR) collections for the first month of the new fiscal year (FY 2013) provided mixed news for both overall collections and the performance of particular major taxes. Overall GR in July was $382.7 million.… Read more [More...]

Guest Blog (Cal Hobson): Bonds. State Bonds.

Cal Hobson served in the Oklahoma Legislature from 1978-2006, including one term as Senate President Pro Tempore. This is an edited version of an article that first appeared in the Oklahoma Observer. In my opinion, when Gov. Mary Fallin’s ill-advised… Read more [More...]

Post-session review: So whatever happened to…

Of the 1,934 bills filed this past legislative session, only a small fraction of those saw any significant action by legislators.  Most bills are never heard by a committee, and almost all of them fall short of a hearing on… Read more [More...]

Guest blog (Barry Friedman): What happened to promise of America?

Barry Friedman writes a monthly column, “Barry Friedman At Large” for Tulsa People Magazine, is a  stand-up comedian, and the author of two books, “Road Comic” and “Funny You Should Mention It”. His website is at http://barrysfriedman.com/. This column originally… Read more [More...]

STATEMENT: Failure of tax cuts is great outcome for Oklahoma

Oklahoma Policy Institute released the following statement in response to the announcement that there will be no tax cut this session: The failure of every tax cut proposal that was debated this session is a victory for Oklahoma. The Legislature… Read more [More...]