Articles
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Budget & Tax
Lawmakers start tax-cut session, but action appears unlikely
Conceding to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s wishes, members of the Oklahoma Legislature met briefly on June 13 in a special legislative session that will focus on tax cuts.Ray Carter | June 13, 2022
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Budget & Tax, Law & Principles
Lawmakers differ on reining in inflated tax bills
State lawmakers spent much of the past year trying to rein in practices that critics say have dramatically inflated businesses’ property-tax valuations in some Oklahoma counties.Ray Carter | June 8, 2022
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Budget & Tax
Provide tax cuts (not rebates) to combat inflation
Oklahoma lawmakers can do more than rebates to give their constituents a more stable footing to withstand the global shocks of inflation.Curtis Shelton | June 3, 2022
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Budget & Tax, Law & Principles
Stitt’s fiscal views a culture shock for Legislature?
Since Stitt entered office, the state government has shifted from having massive annual budget shortfalls to having historic levels of savings, and from constantly enacting tax hikes to debating tax reductions.Ray Carter | June 1, 2022
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Budget & Tax, Law & Principles
GOP struggles to defend slush fund, projects for ‘rural’ OKC
With only days left in this year’s legislative session, Oklahoma state lawmakers deposited $250 million into a “slush fund”-style account with no legal restrictions on how that money can be spent.Ray Carter | June 1, 2022
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Budget & Tax
Stitt wins on vetoes as lawmakers agree to tax-cut session
Gov. Kevin Stitt’s last-minute vetos and call to instead enact meaningful tax cuts has been met with agreement from legislative leaders. But state House leaders made clear they aren’t happy about it.Ray Carter | May 27, 2022
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Budget & Tax
Senate approves rollback of Fallin-era tax hike
The Oklahoma Senate has voted to repeal one of the many tax increases imposed by the GOP Legislature during the administration of former Gov. Mary Fallin, tacitly conceding that prior tax increases are now contributing to the inflationary stresses harming working families statewide.Ray Carter | May 19, 2022
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Budget & Tax, Education
Record school spending decried as insufficient
The state budget announced by Oklahoma legislative leaders this week includes record funding for public schools without enactment of any reforms that would empower parents and increase school choice opportunities.Ray Carter | May 18, 2022
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Budget & Tax
Defined-contribution plans protect taxpayers
Defined-benefit retirement plans have been losing favor in the private sector for decades.Curtis Shelton | May 4, 2022
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Budget & Tax, Education
School spending surge brings complaints, not improvement
Education spending and teacher pay are up dramatically, but so far Oklahomans are simply paying more for less.Ray Carter | May 4, 2022