Four years of federal surplus propping up Oklahoma's budget is not enough to save the state's budget. For the budget year beginning July 1, 2025 (Fiscal Year 2026), state agencies will have $12.08 billion to spend.
[More...]
By:
Shiloh Kantz
August 18, 2025 // Updated: August 21, 2025
This column originally appeared in The Journal Record on August 6, 2025
Oklahoma prides itself on being lean and self-reliant, living within its means while others spend recklessly. But the numbers tell a different story. In truth, billions in federal…
Read more [More...]
As usual, Oklahoma’s legislative session ended with a flurry of fiscal and budget bills in the last two weeks of the session. The legislature has one constitutional requirement every year: pass a balanced budget. In doing so, the legislature decides…
Read more [More...]
In government, just like in nature, everything rolls downhill. And when budget cuts start cascading downwards, it’s not the mountaintop that feels the hit – it’s the town in the valley.
[More...]
Make no mistake: The latest tax cut push announced by Gov. Stitt and legislative leaders has nothing to do with sound policy. It's about power — and protecting a political legacy at the expense of Oklahoma's future.
[More...]
I've seen 12 Oklahoma legislative sessions, and I am at this point pretty well accustomed to the mounting drama at 23rd and Lincoln as sine die draws near. However, this spring has been even wilder than usual. Topped off by Wednesday's surprise announcement that the governor and legislative leaders had, behind closed doors, struck a deal with both an immediate tax cut and a triggered tax cut.
[More...]
By:
Dave Hamby
May 14, 2025 // Updated: May 14, 2025
While the governor says he wants to make Oklahoma more "pro-business," his rhetoric doesn't match what business leaders call for. Instead of investing in these areas, this proposal includes poorly designed tax cuts that will strip hundreds of millions from state revenue — making it even harder to deliver on the basics Oklahomans expect.
[More...]
Automatic triggered tax cuts provide little to no financial relief for low- and middle-income families, jeopardize the state's fiscal health, and limit investment in Oklahoma's already underfunded public services.
[More...]
By:
Dave Hamby
April 24, 2025 // Updated: April 24, 2025
What if you gave away the biggest tax cut in Oklahoma history, and no one noticed?
That’s the reality facing the governor and the legislative leaders he’s trying to pressure to pass income tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest Oklahomans.…
Read more [More...]
By:
Shiloh Kantz
April 14, 2025 // Updated: November 18, 2025
Oklahomans pay among the least in taxes when compared to folks from other states. And we get what we pay for - or in this case don't pay for. While our taxes are low, so is our quality of life when stacked up against other states. You don't have to look hard to find neighbors who are suffering.
[More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
