Protecting Core Services: Revenue Options for a Balanced Budget

With next year’s certified revenues over $500 million less than current year appropriations, deeper budget cuts that could seriously impact the well-being of Oklahoma businesses, families and communities are looming. An OK Policy issue brief makes the case that in… Read more [More...]

Quick Take: March revenue collections

Yesterday, State Finance Director Preston Doerflinger announced that March General Revenue (GR) collections came in 9.3 percent above March 2010 and 10.5 percent above the certified estimate.  This marked the 11th straight month that GR showed improvement over the prior… Read more [More...]

More states push to end the Amazon tax loophole. Will Oklahoma join them?

The state budget crisis has put nearly all public services under intense scrutiny. With most state agencies taking cuts of 15 percent or higher, and more cuts expected, public officials have been forced to streamline operations, eliminating both waste and… Read more [More...]

A tale of two closing funds, the Chinese Communist Party, and genetically modified mice

As the state continues to grapple with severe budget shortfalls, Gov. Fallin’s agenda has mostly involved regulatory changes and managing additional cuts to state services. Yet the governor does have one major new program on her wish list: a deal-closing… Read more [More...]

I don't need it but I'll take it – Revisiting oil and gas tax breaks

A recent news report examining proposals to limit the federal tax deduction for charitable giving concluded with a comment that gets to the crux of the debate over tax breaks: As one donor explained, he doesn’t give to charity to… Read more [More...]

What's at stake: the toll of budget cuts

Another budget year, the same sad story: The combination of tax cuts and the recession results in severe cuts to public services. Over the past two years, most agencies have lost 15 percent or more of their funding. Even though… Read more [More...]

Tax cuts do not have to be regressive

A recent OK Policy fact sheet that analyzed the distribution of  benefits from cutting the state’s top personal income tax rate from 5.5 to 5.25 percent  has generated considerable interest and discussion. The tax cut would have a $120 million… Read more [More...]

Gross Production Tax Fact Sheet

A new fact sheet from Oklahoma Policy Institute looks at Oklahoma’s gross production tax and takes a specific look at the tax exemptions that are offered for different forms of oil and gas production.  Over the past seven years, producers… Read more [More...]

Quick Take: February revenue collections show continued growth but full recovery remains far off

Yesterday, State Finance Director Preston Doerflinger announced state General Revenue (GR) collections for February.  The news was generally positive. February’s collections came in 12.0 percent higher than one year ago; this was the eleventh straight month that monthly GR collections… 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...]