Better Information, Better Policy

Oklahoma Policy Institute Report Shines Light on Need for Greater Scrutiny of State Tax Breaks (Feb 2010)

February 15th, 2010

Contact: David Blatt, Director

(918) 794-3944; (918) 859-8747 - cell

Oklahoma Policy Institute Report Shines Light on Need for Greater Scrutiny of State Tax Breaks

(Tulsa, February 17, 2010):  Oklahoma's budget crisis creates new needs and new opportunities to review the state's extensive system of tax breaks, according to a research brief released today by Oklahoma Policy Institute, a state policy organization.

Oklahoma’s Poor and Middle Income Families Pay a Higher Percentage in State, Local Taxes

November 17th, 2009

(Oklahoma City, Nov. 18, 2009): State and local taxes take a bigger toll on the incomes of Oklahoma’s low- and moderate-income households than on higher-income households, according to a new study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a non-partisan research and education organization focused on government taxation and spending policies. The study measures state and local taxes paid by different income groups, and reveals that low and moderate-income Oklahomans pay a greater percentage of their incomes in taxes than those with higher incomes.

OK Policy Forecasts Give Extended Picture of State’s Budget Crisis (Nov. 9, 2009)

November 9th, 2009

(Oklahoma City, Nov. 10, 2009): The impact of the current recession will be long and deep in Oklahoma, and state services will continue to deteriorate, according to a report released today by the Oklahoma Policy Institute.

Oklahoma Policy Institute Releases its Online Budget Guide (Oct. 8, 2009)

October 8th, 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK-Oklahoma Policy Institute today released its Online Budget Guide, a comprehensive look at how Oklahoma state and local governments collect and spend money to provide public services.

The Online Budget Guide is designed to give citizens and policy makers a useful tool for understanding how the budget process works and how it impacts Oklahomans.  With this knowledge, Oklahomans can actively observe the legislature's steps in weathering the current economic storm.

New Report Puts Focus on Assets and Financial Security in Oklahoma (Sept. 21, 2009)

September 17th, 2009

(Oklahoma City, September 21, 2009): The release of a comprehensive new state-level  Scorecard on assets and financial stability provides an opportunity to focus on efforts to help Oklahoma families get ahead and become more financially secure, according to the members of a state coalition dedicated to asset building.

OK Policy Budget Review (June 3, 2009)

June 2nd, 2009

(Oklahoma City, June 3, 2009): The use of federal stimulus managed to cushion the impact of declining state revenue collections and help minimize or avert funding cuts to most large state agencies, but funding gaps and hard choices will remain during the coming budget year, according to a new brief on the FY '10 budget released by Oklahoma Policy Institute. 
 

Oklahoma Policy Institute Recommends Using Rainy Day Fund Now to Minimize Damage to State Services (May 11, 2009)

May 12th, 2009

(Oklahoma City, May 11, 2009): A new issue brief released today by Oklahoma Policy Institute (OK Policy) urges state leaders to add the Rainy Day Fund (RDF) into the discussion of the state budget for the upcoming fiscal year, FY '10. The recommendation is based on projections of the economic downturn and its effect on the state's budget.

Oklahoma Can Protect State Services by Decoupling from Federal Business Tax Provisions (May 4, 2009)

May 1st, 2009

(Oklahoma City, May 4, 2009): Oklahoma faces a budget shortfall of at least $600 million in the coming fiscal year, 2009-10. Federal stimulus bill (American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, or ARRA) tax provisions could make this gap $46 million larger. Oklahoma Policy Institute today released a fact sheet describing the federal business tax provisions, how they cut into Oklahoma revenue, and what the Legislature can do to avoid further cuts in essential public services.

New Fact Sheet Examines Gross Production Taxes and Exemptions (April 28, 2009)

April 24th, 2009

(Oklahoma City, April 28, 2009):  Oklahoma Policy Institute released a new fact sheet on Oklahoma's gross production tax that takes a specific look at the tax exemptions that are offered for different forms of oil and gas production. Over the past five years, producers have claimed $339 million in exemptions, or rebates, from the gross production tax, with almost three-quarters of the rebates claimed for deep well drilling and horizontally drilled wells. Most gross production tax exemptions are set to expire on June 30, 2009; the Legislature is considering bills (HB 2026 and SB 313) that would extend the exemptions through 2012.

Updating Unemployment Insurance Laws Would Bolster Trust Fund, Help Oklahoma's Workers and Businesses (April 2, 2009)

April 2nd, 2009

(Oklahoma City, April 2, 2009):  A new issue brief from Oklahoma Policy Institute calls on Oklahoma to take advantage of opportunities provided in the federal stimulus bill to make modest changes to its Unemployment Insurance program that would bolster the program's financial condition and help avert or minimize tax increases and benefit cuts in the years ahead.