Articles
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Budget & Tax
Statement from former U.S. Senator Dr. Tom Coburn on efforts to increase personal income taxes
Yesterday, the House and Senate Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget passed House Bill 2347, which caps personal itemized deductions effective January 1, 2017. Dr. Tom Coburn has issued the following statement regarding efforts to have the bill approved by the entire legislature and sent to the Governor for approval.Tom Coburn | May 10, 2017
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Budget & Tax, Education
The Bogus Budget: Money for schools
Can a government agency be so important that it must not be questioned or held to account? Of course, that would be absurd. It would guarantee waste, or worse.Trent England | May 9, 2017
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Budget & Tax
Statement on legislative attempts to cap personal itemized deductions
Today, the House Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget passed House Bill 2347, which caps personal itemized deductions at $17,000 effective January 1, 2017. OCPA Chairman Larry Parman and OCPA President Jonathan Small issued the following statement regarding this action.Jonathan Small & Larry Parman | May 9, 2017
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Budget & Tax, Agriculture
How soda taxes hurt farmers
These values do highlight the fact that whatever benefits are produced by these sorts of public health initiatives, they must be weighed against the cost.Jayson Lusk | May 8, 2017
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Budget & Tax
Misleading claims versus the truth about state spending
Gov. Mary Fallin recently has made several presentations offering a doom-and-gloom picture of Oklahoma’s government agencies.Curtis Shelton | May 5, 2017
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Budget & Tax
145-percent tax hike a bad idea
Tax increases are often a two-edged sword, and that is especially true of the proposed 145-percent cigarette tax increase ($1.50 per pack) currently being pushed by some tax-consumers.Jonathan Small | May 5, 2017
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Budget & Tax
The Bogus Budget: DEM & OETA
The artificial focus on just the appropriated funds spent by state agencies is what allows politicians to act as if government has been cut.Trent England | May 3, 2017
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Budget & Tax, Higher Education
The Bogus Budget: This one cut could solve the shortfall
Total spending has increased so much in higher education that the legislature could zero out its appropriation altogether—saving more than $800 million, closing nearly all of the shortfall—and it would simply return this part of state government to slightly more than its 2013 spending level.Trent England | May 2, 2017
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Budget & Tax
Why government should pay sales tax
Should sales taxes be paid by everyone? Most people probably think so.Trent England | May 2, 2017
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Budget & Tax
The Bogus Budget: Space Cadets Edition
Yes, the appropriated amount of funds going to many state agencies has declined over the last year or two. Yet many of these same agencies are nevertheless spending more money than ever before.Trent England | May 1, 2017