The legislative session ended early this year with a budget that was released April 1, 2026. Leadership touted this highly unusual early release of the state’s general appropriations bill (Senate Bill 1177) as a feat of transparency. However, simply releasing…
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Oklahomans are frustrated by rising housing costs, but this session, lawmakers are targeting the wrong culprit. While property taxes are drawing most of the attention at the Capitol this year, the real cost surge — homeowners’ insurance — remains largely…
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For years, the dominant narrative at the Capitol has been that we simply can’t afford to fully fund the things that make communities work — public schools, infrastructure, basic health coverage. We’re told the budget is tight. That tradeoffs are…
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By:
Dave Hamby
April 14, 2026 // Updated: June 11, 2026
The promise sounds simple enough: eliminate taxes and let people keep more of what they earn. No property taxes. No income taxes. No April deadlines. More money in your pocket.
But when taxes disappear, everyday life doesn’t stay the same.…
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Statement from OK Policy Executive Director Shiloh Kantz:
A state budget deal announced on April 1 raises a few eyebrows, but the real concern to Oklahoma taxpayers isn’t the timing — it’s the process.
Once again, legislative leaders are keeping…
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Oklahomans are frustrated by rising housing costs, but this session, lawmakers are targeting the wrong culprit. While property taxes are drawing most of the attention at the Capitol this year, the real cost surge — homeowners’ insurance — remains largely…
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This legislative session, property taxes have taken center stage at the Capitol. Lawmakers have filed dozens of proposals to cut, cap, or otherwise restrict property taxes, which help fund public schools and local community services.
Yet many of those proposals…
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By:
Dave Hamby
March 2, 2026 // Updated: March 4, 2026
At a time when calls for property tax cuts dominate headlines and dinner table debates, more people are asking a simple question: What’s in it for me?
It’s a fair question. Why should I pay for services I don’t use,…
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From OK Policy’s Fiscal Policy Analyst Aanahita Irani Ervin:
At February’s Board of Equalization meeting, one urgent fact stood out: Oklahoma is shifting the cost of essential services onto low- and middle-income families. Year-over-year comparisons show the state is experiencing…
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Broadening Oklahoma’s tax base sounds like common sense. Put simply, broadening the tax base means increasing the number of people to whom a tax applies, an approach viewed favorably by lawmakers from both political parties. Broadening the tax base is…
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