Budget & Tax

Telling the truth about SQ 640

March 23, 2018

Jonathan Small

Whether it’s The Economist, The Washington Post, Bloomberg News, or their accomplices in Oklahoma, some just can’t wait to tell us how terrible things are. The Economist even outright lied and said that Oklahoma had cut general state funds for education by 28 percent.

Their key narrative is less than half-truths about the state budget and State Question 640. “Oklahoma can’t have nice things because it’s impossible to raise revenue,” they imply.

Despite the fallacies, 640 doesn’t make it nearly impossible for Oklahoma to raise taxes. It does protect taxpayers from the first instinct of some lawmakers: to raise taxes on Oklahomans with reckless abandon. The truth is the Legislature has increased taxes on more than one occasion since 640 was put in the books.

Read the rest over on The Journal Record.