Articles

A clear and full picture of public employee compensation is important when debating whether to increase the tax burden on Oklahomans.

It’s election season, and the two competing worldviews on the ballot are not new.

The Oklahoma State Treasurer, along with the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES), released their monthly report for July’s revenue collections.

Total state funds expenditures are expected to smash records in fiscal year (FY) 2018 for the seventh consecutive year, after rising from $11.5 billion in FY 2011 to $16.1 billion in FY 2017.

Total Gross Receipts were up 11% and General Revenue Fund collections grew 16.1% in fiscal year 2018 compared to the year before. And, revenue from income and sales taxes continued to grow throughout the year.

When state government spends federal dollars, it seems like “free” money. After all, state legislators did not impose the taxes. Legislators and other state officials are much less likely to be held accountable for how that money gets spent. Federal officials, on the other hand, can blame the state if the money is poorly used. Nobody is ever on the hook. For taxpayers, this system is a nightmare, but for politicians, it’s perfect.

Oklahoma teachers spent much of the spring at the state Capitol requesting increased school budgets. But even as they won massive statewide tax increases, many of their own home county assessors were likely failing to collect millions of dollars in local property taxes for education.

June revenue collections reached record highs at $1.1 billion.

The June meeting of the Board of Equalization certified $7.67 billion in state revenue, or $610 million more than the previous revenue certification in February.

OCPA has expanded its data tools to include information on state retirement systems and total government finances.