
April 15, 2013
(Original Post) Posted: 04/13/2013 By: Max Resnik TULSA – According to the non-partisan, non-profit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the proposed income tax cut currently being discussed by Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and legislative leaders would add little cash to the pockets of Oklahomans. Much of the discussion has involved reducing the income tax […]
April 2, 2013
(Original Post) 2:07 pm – March 26, 2013 — Updated: 12:14 am – March 27, 2013 By John Lyon Arkansas News Bureau [email protected] LITTLE ROCK — A proposed $57 million state income tax cut cleared a House panel Tuesday. House Bill 1585 by Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, received a “do pass” recommendation from the House […]
March 29, 2013
(Original Post) In the past three years, states and cities have brought in billions of dollars in additional user fees. But there are pitfalls to this form of revenue boost. BY: Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene | April 2013 The political debate that pits the desire to generate new revenues against the drive to cut […]
March 20, 2013
(Original Post) Posted by Dylan Matthews on March 20, 2013 at 11:45 am Most conservative policymakers at the federal level just want to sharply reduce the income tax, not eliminate it entirely. But more and more Republican-controlled states are deciding to go big or go home. So far, Govs. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), Dave Heineman (R-NE), […]
March 1, 2013
(Original Post) Meteor Blades for Daily Kos Economics Across the South and Midwest—in Georgia, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Louisiana, Indiana, Kansas and elsewhere—Republican-dominated states seek to eliminate income taxes and replace part of them with regressive sales taxes. Thus would be the tax burden be shifted to people in the lower earning tiers of the economy […]
March 1, 2013
(Original Post) By Bonnie Kavoussi Posted: 02/28/2013 5:47 pm EST | Updated: 03/01/2013 12:21 am EST Small-government advocates often claim that high taxes hold the economy back. But a new report finds that states without a personal income tax have experienced slower economic growth than states with high income tax rates. The report, from the […]
February 28, 2013 • By Carl Davis
Lawmakers in about a dozen states are giving serious consideration to either cutting or eliminating their state personal income taxes. In each case, these proposals are being touted as a way to boost economic growth.
February 28, 2013
(Original Post) Sen. Minority Leader Richard Saslaw has spearheaded the opposition this winter to Gov. Bob McDonnell’s plan to raise transportation revenues by abolishing the state gas tax and replacing it with a sales tax increase. Saslaw, D-Fairfax, says the only way to raise ample money for roads is to increase both the sales and […]
February 27, 2013
(Original Post) Posted Tuesday, February 26, 2013 by Chris Lewis Arthur Laffer might just be the Doctor Nick of taxes—all that’s missing is a degree from Upstairs Economics College. Earlier this month, we reported on the “Brownback Experiment,” a wild plan by Gov. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) to cut the state’s income tax. Brownback said he […]
February 26, 2013
The Governor’s assertion that extending Medicaid is unaffordable to Oklahoma is unconvincing in at least two respects. First, the study on which she bases her cost estimates makes clear that extending Medicaid would have a very modest fiscal cost to the state and would bring in over twelve new federal dollars for every additional dollar […]
February 19, 2013
In her State of the State address, Governor Fallin unveiled yet another proposal to cut Oklahoma’s income tax. Her plan is drastically scaled back from last year’s proposal, which attempted to stretch out Oklahoma’s tax brackets, cut the top rate in half, and eliminate dozen of tax credits, exemptions, and deductions. This year, the Governor […]
February 4, 2013
BY WAYNE GREENE World Senior Writer Sunday, February 03, 2013 2/3/2013 6:10:41 AM In the debate over state personal income tax rates this year, look for Gov. Mary Fallin to adopt the KISS method – Keep It Simple, Senator. Last year, her proposal seemed like it had more moving parts than a whirligig factory. She […]
February 4, 2013
(Original Post) By Catherine Roberts Two new reports are out this week about Oklahomans and their money: one (read it here) is about how many people save their money and to what extent, and the other (read it here) is about who pays the biggest percentage of their money in taxes. Forty-four percent is […]
January 25, 2013
(Original Post) By JOHN ELIGONPublished: January 23, 2013 TOPEKA, Kan. — President Obama stood on the steps of the Capitol in Washington on Monday afternoon and laid out an expansive liberal agenda for the nation. Inside the Kansas State Capitol here this week, Gov. Sam Brownback and Republican legislators have been drafting what could be […]
January 23, 2013
(Original Post) By: Rachael BadeJanuary 22, 2013 04:41 PM EST Looking for the next big tax debate? Talk to a governor — preferably one with presidential ambitions. From Louisiana to New York, and Wisconsin to Massachusetts, some of the nation’s most prominent governors in both parties — more than a few of whom have grander […]
January 18, 2013
By Paul Hammel WORLD-HERALD BUREAU LINCOLN — Nebraska isn’t the only state looking to eliminate state income taxes. Republican leaders in both Louisiana and North Carolina are pushing plans similar to Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman’s pitch — elimination of income taxes on individuals and on corporations to boost their local economies. Other states, including Oklahoma, […]
January 16, 2013
(Original Post) Blog Post by: Benjamin Landy, on January 16, 2013 In the days and weeks after Mitt Romney’s electoral defeat, there was what seemed like an endless stream of hand-wringing and soul-searching among Republican elites. The political landscape had changed overnight, forcing rising stars within the party to acknowledge the need for greater diversity, […]
January 15, 2013
Tax cuts enacted between 2004 and 2006 will reduce Oklahoma’s revenues by more than $800 million when fully phased-in. Among the many tax cuts, the two largest involved cutting the top personal income tax rate and raising the standard deduction. Read the Full Report (PDF)
January 15, 2013
The family budgets of low- and moderate-income Oklahomans are under increasing strain from the rapidly rising costs of such essentials as food, fuel and utilities. Food costs rose 5.9 percent over the past year, according to the government’s August inflation data. Price increases have been particularly steep for such dietary staples as dairy (6.4 percent […]
January 8, 2013
(PDF of Original Post) 07:44 AM CST on Thursday, November 19, 2009 By ROBERT T. GARRETT / The Dallas Morning [email protected] AUSTIN – Texas’ low-income residents bear heavier tax burdens than their counterparts in all but four other states, a new study shows. The bottom fifth of Texas earners pay just over 12 percent of […]
January 7, 2013
(PDF of the Original Post) By RANDAL EDGAR Journal State House Bureau The tone was somewhat glum as the Poverty Institute held its annual state budget conference on Friday, in anticipation of Governor Chafee’s budget address this week, but there were some moments of levity. One came during a presentation by Meg Wieghe, of the […]
January 7, 2013
(PDF of the Original Post) by: SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer Thursday, November 19, 2009 11/19/2009 5:01:04 AM The poorest 20 percent of Oklahomans pay the most in state and local taxes, a trend seen throughout most ofthe nation, a report issued this month states. “Who Pays?” — an analysis by the nonprofit Institute on […]
January 7, 2013
(PDF of the Original Post) The Oklahoman Editorial Published: November 22, 2009 NO further tax cuts are in the offing for the foreseeable future, so Oklahoma’s tendency to tax lower-income citizens disproportionately is also unlikely to change any time soon. The state is rated as having an exceptionally regressive tax system by the Institute on […]
January 7, 2013
(PDF of the Original Post) Thursday, March 10, 2011 Another Oklahoma income tax cut is expected to come into effect Jan. 1, 2012, despite evidence that strongly suggests the tax cut’s adverse impact on public services and income equality far outweigh its contrived benefits. The initial justification for the cut was based on projections that […]
January 7, 2013
(PDF of the Original Post) by: RANDY KREHBIEL World Staff Writer Monday, March 14, 2011 3/14/2011 5:35:07 AM Eighty percent of Oklahoma households would see little or no direct benefit from an impending quarter-percent income tax cut, according to a report issued last week by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Nearly three-quarters of the $120-million tax […]