The Sooner state is at No. 36, which means only 14 other states impose overall tax structures that are more burdensome. The ranking was unchanged from the 2013 report. However, there was good news. Property tax collections averaged $642 per person, the fourth lowest nationally. Meanwhile, the state’s income tax system consists of seven brackets […]
business
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Wind can light up our city
As spokesperson for Advancing Wind, a grassroots initiative of individuals, businesses, chambers of commerce, cultural groups and educational entities that promote wind energy development throughout the state, I’ve had the opportunity to explore the social, economic and environmental impact wind has in Oklahoma. I’ve learned firsthand that the wind energy industry is important to a […]
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Million-dollar members
This year, each of the city’s eight council members will receive a $1 million allocation to spend on projects that were not previously funded. The discretionary spending program comes from the city’s reserve fund, typically 8-15 percent of the total municipal budget. In six of the last 11 years, excess money from the reserve fund […]
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Bright future
Photo by Mark Hancock “Today, we think of billboards as this rectangle thing on a pole,” said Kathy Anderson of the the Bethany Improvement Foundation. But in the heyday of Route 66, billboards were often lower to the ground, displayed hand-painted art or art deco design and sometimes even were three-dimensional structures with people inside […]
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Hobby Lobby deserves protection
After the U.S. Supreme Court decided to no longer strictly scrutinize most laws that substantially burden religious liberty, outraged people of all ideological hues vowed to restore the legal protection refused by the court. The Senate passed the bill 97-3. The House passed it unanimously. RFRA instructs courts to invalidate any law or government action […]
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Time for middle-out economics
Yet the 2006 tax cut also increased the standard deduction. This eliminated income taxes for some 45,000 moderateincome families and lowered taxes for Oklahomans at all income levels. At the time, lawmakers wanted to make sure tax reduction was both bottom-up and top-down. By contrast, the current governor and Legislature have pushed tax cuts that […]
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LETTERS
Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to pbacharach@okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette.com, but include a city of residence and contact number […]
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LETTERS
Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to pbacharach@okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette.com, but include a city of residence and contact number […]
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The facts about a convention center hotel
Let me be specific concerning the details. First, Shadid refers to a study conducted by Convention, Sports & Leisure International for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. The councilmen, along with numerous members of the local media, have reviewed the full study in our offices. The study does contemplate the need for a headquarters hotel as […]
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Tom nixed
Credit: Brad Gregg Wonder if his board liked the way they looked firing him? Closer to home, SandRidge’s board deemed Ward expendable just months after Aubrey McClendon, with whom Ward had founded Chesapeake Energy, was pushed out by his board. Shareholders these days seem to be more volatile than Glee fans. But don’t cry too […]