Oklahomans pay nine different major taxes. We usually think about taxes when we pay them, rarely stopping to see how they all fit together or how they work. The Online Budget Guide describes each of Oklahoma's nine major taxes, including a history of the tax, who is taxed, how the taxes are calculated, how much money is collected, how the taxes are used, and how our taxes compare to similar taxes elsewhere in the country.

There are really only three economic activities that can be taxed-income (earning money), sales (spending money), and wealth (holding money). Oklahoma uses a mix of these three tax types. There are three income taxes-individual income, corporate income, and the severance or gross production tax on earnings from minerals. There are five major sales taxes - the general sales tax and four selective sales taxes on purchases of specific items. There are two wealth taxes, which are the property tax and a portion of the motor vehicle tax.

The table shows a wide variation among Oklahoma's taxes as far as the revenue they generate, how important each is to the overall tax mix, the impact on average Oklahomans, and the rate of growth.

• Collections range from $87 million in 2008 from the alcoholic beverage tax, or $24 per person, to over $3.6 billion from the general sales tax, or $991 per person.
• Only three taxes - individual income, general sales, and property - make up more than 10 percent of tax revenue.
• During the last ten years, revenue from the tobacco tax has increased at an average rate of more than 20 percent per year, reflecting a voter-approved tax increase in 2004.
• At the other end of the spectrum, revenue from the motor vehicle tax has grown less than 1 percent per year after a voter-approved tax cut and revenue from fuel taxes has grown at a similar slow pace due to more fuel-efficient vehicles and less driving in response to price increases. While severance tax revenue for 1998 and 2008 were similar, revenues fluctuated greatly in between.

• Individual Income Tax
• Corporate Income Tax
• Severance Tax
• Sales Tax
• Motor Vehicle Taxes
• Motor Fuel Tax
• Tobacco Taxes
• Alcoholic Beverage Taxes
• Property Tax
• Other Taxes

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