Upcoming Event: Eliminating the Income Tax – Silver Bullet or Fool's Gold?

On April 5th, Oklahoma Policy Institute is hosting a forum, “Eliminating the Income Tax: Silver Bullet or Fool’s Gold,” from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. Several of Oklahoma’s most respected economists and economic developers will discuss the methodology and conclusion of the report from Arthur Laffer and his colleagues that has formed the basis for proposals being considered by the Oklahoma legislature to do away with the state income tax. They will also focus on what the implications of doing away with the income tax could be on Oklahoma’s public finances, economic development, and the overall state economy.

Participating in the forum will be:

• Dr. Kent Olson, Professor of Economics Emeritus at Oklahoma State University
• Dr. Jonathan Willner, Professor and Chair of the Department of Economics and Finance at Oklahoma City University
• Dr. Cynthia Rogers, Associate Professor of Economics at University of Oklahoma
• Dr. Alexander Holmes, Regents Professor of Microeconomic Theory at the University of Oklahoma
• Roy Williams, President and CEO, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber
• Justin McLaughlin, Vice-President of Economic Development, Tulsa Metro Chamber
• Deidre Myers, Director of Policy, Research and Economic Analysis, Oklahoma Department of Commerce

The event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is requested. For more information and to register, click here.

Several of the panelists have studied the Laffer plan and have identified serious flaws in its methodology and findings. You can read this blog post based on their reports, or see the individual reports by Dr. Kent Olson, Dr. Jonathan Willner and Dr. Cynthia Rogers.  You can also see this fact sheet summarizing two reports from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy on the Laffer study. For additional information on the tax debate, visit OK Policy’s tax reform information page.