Articles

Headlines often give the game away when it comes to agenda-driven journalism. Such is the case with “Somebody says” headlines, where the “somebody” is invariably pushing a point of view shared by the reporter.

It’s easy for insiders to support tax increases – much easier than it is for low- and middle-income families and small businesses to pay higher taxes. That’s why this week the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs offered a revenue and reform plan. Our plan even received the endorsement of former U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn.

The monthly treasurer’s report often references the general revenue fund (GRF) and total gross receipts together, but it is important to understand what these numbers really mean.

Actions speak louder than words, but what they tell us is not always obvious. What do our elected officials believe? What are they really trying to do? Here are four questions to ask as we watch the legislative process unfold.

Putting a veil around total education expenses is a step backward in the debate over total state spending. An honest debate on public education funding calls for more transparency, not less.

On Monday, Gov. Mary Fallin will deliver her final State of the State address to open the 2018 legislative session. For the governor in her final year in office, and for the Legislature in the second year of session, there’s plenty of unfinished business.

In 2015 a very important piece of legislation, House Bill 1748, required Oklahoma state agencies to publicly report the amount of federal funding they receive and the strings attached to that money. The measure passed overwhelmingly in both chambers.

The time has come to reform TSET in two ways. First, new tobacco settlement dollars should be redirected to high-priority health care needs (rural hospitals, care for veterans, etc.). Second, TSET’s endowment should be reduced, capped, and limited to helping people quit smoking and to health care needs related to smoking (what most people thought TSET was about in the first place).

The legislature should repeal its zero-emission tax credit for all sources of zero-emission power, not just wind.

Because taxing income means disincentivizing paid work, OCPA advocates shifting the state of Oklahoma away from reliance on income taxes. Moreover, state lawmakers should eliminate the possibility of local income taxes within Oklahoma—while allowing city governments to access available and stable sources of revenue to support the legitimate ends of local government.