Why Saving The Income Tax Is Critical For Oklahomans with Disabilities

1. Income tax provides one-third of all state tax revenue. The state could not provide core services without the income tax unless other taxes were dramatically raised.

2. Tax cuts do not make taking care of Oklahomans in need a priority. While there are no additional dollars to support health care and social sevices, the Governor’s budget allocates over $110 million to partially fund her plan to cut the income tax – a plan that will cost at least $340 million in lost revenue in its first full year.

3. We are already failing to take care of Oklahomans with disabilities. Chronic underfunding has left 6,500 families on a waiting list for home- and community-based services for persons with developmental disabilities, some since 2004. Providers of home- and community- based services have not received a rate increase in over five years, making it ever-harder to attract and retain qualified staff and threatening access to care.

4. Many Oklahomans with disabilities would pay higher taxes. To pay for cuts to the top income tax rate, various proposals would do away with tax preferences that benefit Oklahomans with disabilities. The state child tax credit, child care credit, personal exemption, and additional exemptions for blind taxpayes are all targeted for elimination.

What You Can Do Today

1. Get Informed. Resources to learn more about the income tax debate are freely available athttps://okpolicy.org/take-action

2. Contact Elected Officials. Let your elected representatives and the top officials who are making decisions on taxes and the budget know how you feel. Your voice can be heard!

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