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That means public education receives more than one-third of every tax dollar collected by the state.

In 2022, per-pupil expenses in Oklahoma were $12,967. That means the state determined it costs nearly $13,000 to educate a child every year.

Saying passage of the bill sets the stage for discussion of broad tax reform, members of an Oklahoma Senate committee have approved legislation that would put the state on the path to eventually reduce the personal income tax to 2.75 percent.

Local property taxes are a great example of how, whether you bear the direct burden or not, taxation is felt by everyone.

A family of four would pay $6,568 in local and state sales taxes on average.

According to the latest data from the Oklahoma Tax Commission, total state and local tax collections in 2022 were $21.1 billion.

Adopting full scale tax reform like the one OCPA proposed last year would make Oklahoma much more competitive by eliminating the income tax while simultaneously creating a more stable sales tax by broadening the base to include more taxable services. This sort of tax reform would benefit all Oklahomans through increased economic activity in the long term without the risk of a severe government shortfall in the short term.

By way of comparison, the proposed school-choice tax credit in HB 1935 would provide $10,000 in tax relief for a family of four choosing private education, leaving the typical family still paying $7,324.

Legislation that would effectively impose a single personal income-tax rate for all workers, while also lowering the rate, has easily passed out of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Oklahoma’s financial position today allows for effective policy change, including tax cuts and universal school choice.