Janet Barresi Credit: Mark Hancock The study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that inflation-adjusted per-pupil spending in the state decreased 20.3 percent from fiscal years 2008 to 2013. Alabama was second from the bottom, and Arizona had the biggest decrease. The study found Oklahoma spends $706 less per student now than […]
taxes
Posted inNews
Raising taxes? Really?
When a family member loses his or her job, that family has less income and normally creates a budget to live within its means, maybe cutting cable TV, Internet, etc. Can government not survive within a budget, instead of requiring taxpayers to give more? It could if it tried, but it’s easier to raise taxes […]
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inNews
Caged heat
Credit: Shannon Cornman The comments were part of a larger discussion among the council at its June 16 meeting about what to do with a $1.3 million surplus to the city budget and whether to put that money into expanded bus service, street maintenance, or the hiring of more police officers. Shadid questioned why there […]
Posted inNews
Cutting taxes is not an answer
I wish those fortunate enough to be able to pay taxes would reflect on public services that are often taken for granted but make for a civilized society: police and fire protection; sewage treatment and water treatment facilities; public schools and teachers; family services for lives that have run off the rails. Tens of millions […]
Posted inNews
Point broke
Busey has less than $50,000 to his name, but owes at least 10 times that amount (and perhaps half a million more). Since HBO’s “Entourage” is history, thus denying him any further appearances playing himself, it’s unlikely he was going to luck into a gig lucrative enough to pay all that back. Don’t feel too […]
Posted inNews
Taxes got your goat?
In the months leading up to this session, two separate task forces recommended reducing Oklahoma’s personal income tax beginning this session, with the goal of ultimately scrapping the tax. The panels — Gov. Mary Fallin’s Task Force on Economic Development and Job Creation and the legislative Task Force on Comprehensive Tax Reform — differed in […]
Posted inNews
‘Confederacies of municipal dunces’
—“Jefferson County (Alabama) Files for Bankruptcy” (wire services) because it couldn’t meet their sewer bond obligations. The local municipal leaders of Jefferson County have led their community down into the sewers. —“Trimmed TIF: Cost overruns and funding shortfalls have (OKC) city planners looking for ways to save money on Project 180” (Clifton Adcock, Nov. 9, […]
Posted inNews
‘Wealth’ of information
So for brevity’s sake, let’s say that Oklahoma has $1 billion of income tax revenue that is replaced by some other nondeductible revenue. Further, let’s assume that 30 percent of all income is by lower income workers who do not itemize. Finally, say that the average federal rate for that upper 70 percent is 25 […]