Washington Post: Behind Oklahoma’s Teacher Strike: Years of Tax Cuts and an Energy Slump

Some states that have also recently pushed through big income tax cuts, including North Carolina and Ohio, did so while also broadening their tax base, according to Meg Wiehe of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. But until this year, Oklahoma did very little to balance rate reductions with increases in the tax base.

Oklahoma raised its cigarette tax and capped deductions as part of its bump in teachers’ pay in March, the first time the legislatures pushed through any significant revenue increases in several years, according to Wiehe. Read more