Eliminate justice-related fees and invest in Oklahoma’s justice system

If Oklahoma's lawmakers are serious about improving public safety, they should focus their efforts on eliminating justice-related fees and fines. Doing so would help justice-involved Oklahomans and improve public safety, provide stable funding for essential public safety services, and would be a cost-effective investment for our justice system. [More...]

Policy Matters: Steps to improve budget transparency next session

This legislative session, lawmakers placed great emphasis on budget transparency. It’s been revealing to watch the process unfold, but there are steps lawmakers can take to build on this progress for next year. Throughout May, legislative leaders and the governor… Read more [More...]

Statement: Elimination of grocery sales tax is far too little support for low- and middle-income families

While elimination of the state portion of the grocery sales tax provides a measure of financial relief to some Oklahomans, it’s far too little support for our low - and middle-income families and seniors who need it most.  [More...]

National experts say Oklahoma is part of a damaging tax-cutting trend

Attempts by Oklahoma elected officials to reduce or eliminate the state’s personal income tax are part of a national tax-cutting trend that could undermine funding for the shared services that can move our state out of the bottom 10 states for quality of life and overall well-being for all Oklahomans. [More...]

Comments from OK Policy’s Shiloh Kantz, on Jan. 24 National Press Call about Cutting State Taxes

Media Release: National experts say Oklahoma is part of a damaging tax-cutting trend For more information, contact Dave Hamby, Oklahoma Policy Institute, (918) 810-0182, dhamby@okpolicy.org – – – During the past few decades, Oklahoma has become one of the nation’s… Read more [More...]

Statement regarding the governor’s latest call for special session (Jan 2024)

On Tuesday, the governor issued a call for a special session on Jan. 29, asking lawmakers to pass a .25-percent cut to the state’s personal income tax.   Statement from the Oklahoma Policy Institute:  Instead of grandstanding with yet another… Read more [More...]

New national study shows Oklahoma’s tax system worsens inequality, among the nation’s most unfair

Oklahoma’s tax system is upside-down, with everyday Oklahomans paying a far greater share of their income in taxes than wealthy residents. Proposals to eliminate the state’s income tax would widen this disparity, according to the latest edition of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy’s Who Pays?, the only distributional analysis of tax systems in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. [More...]

Lawmakers cut corporate income taxes while polls show corporations should pay their fair share

most Americans feeling that corporations should pay more in taxes, and most businesses prioritize public services that rely on that tax revenue; Oklahoma must maintain or increase its corporate tax revenue in coming years.  [More...]

Years of unrestored budget cuts have kept vital state agencies underfunded (Capitol Update)

During the decade downturn in the state’s economy, state agencies were hollowed out. When the economy turned around, the governor insisted on agencies submitting flat budget requests to the legislature and “saving” the increased revenue in various accounts. Then he used the “savings” to demand tax cuts.  [More...]

Everyday Oklahomans will be hurt by sweeping revenue cuts

NOTE: On Sept. 11, 2023, Gov. Stitt called for a special session in October 2023 to address tax reforms. One of the items included in the governor’s request was a “path to zero income tax.”  – – – Oklahoma should… Read more [More...]