Topic: Budget & Tax

From the frying pan to the fire: As FY 10 budget battle re-erupts, the real hard work waits

By: David Blatt
March 2, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Just when it looked as if the the extended negotiations over how to address FY ’10 budget shortfalls were finally resolved, a new wrinkle emerged this week.  As a means to protest the continued failure to find supplemental funds for… Read more [More...]

Energy Stabilization Fund proposal would help avoid wild budget swings

By: David Blatt
February 26, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
House Speaker Chris Benge this week was joined by Republican Senator Patrick Anderson and Democratic Senator John Sparks in unveiling a proposal to create a new budgetary reserve fund to help cushion the state from a repeat of the extreme… Read more [More...]

A balanced approach to the state budget: How are we doing?

By: David Blatt
February 25, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Our friends at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) have put out a new paper addressing the acute fiscal crisis facing states across the nation. As shortfalls reach a level where they are seriously compromising the ability of… Read more [More...]

Aiming at a moving target

By: David Blatt
February 24, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
I posted an entry this morning that compared the mid-year budget cuts being absorbed by each of the ten largest state agencies. Unfortunately, the post – which I’ve now deleted –  included outdated information regarding funding for the Departments of… Read more [More...]

Budget deal (2): Social service agencies shut out of additional funding, again

By: David Blatt
February 22, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
For the second time in less than a month, the Governor and legislative leaders have announced an agreement on how to address the huge shortfalls in this year’s budget caused by declining revenue collections. This second agreement is not much… Read more [More...]

Will the brakes be put on tax breaks?

By: David Blatt
February 18, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
There is definitely something in the air. Over the past several weeks, there has been a heavy flurry of attention paid to the state’s system of tax expenditures, the array of over 450 exemptions, credits, deductions and the like that… Read more [More...]

Revised revenue certification – budget gaps smaller but still perilous

By: David Blatt
February 16, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
This morning, the State Board of Equalization will meet to certify the revised FY ’11 revenue estimates (we’ve posted the certification packet to our website). The February certification is binding on the Legislature as it develops the FY ’11 budget… Read more [More...]

Forecasting legislation would provide better early warning signals

By: David Blatt
February 15, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Earlier this year, we put out an issue brief and blog post that identified the need for better budget forecasting as one of the lessons that should be learned from the state’s current budget woes to avoid crises of similar… Read more [More...]

Shining the Light on Tax Breaks

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
February 11, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
An OK Policy brief titled “Let There Be Light: Making Oklahoma’s Tax Expenditures More Transparent and Accountable” makes the case for increasing disclosure and scrutiny of tax expenditures, the array of exemptions, credits, deductions, and the like in the tax… Read more [More...]

New revenue numbers: Still waiting to exhale

By: David Blatt
February 9, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
We may never have expected to see the day when the announcement that monthly revenue collections had come in 16.7 percent below the prior year and 20.8 percent below the certified estimate would be taken as good news. But after… Read more [More...]