Oklahoma Democrats, Superintendents Oppose Income Tax Cut

Oklahoma House Democrats and some school superintendents are renewing their opposition to plans by Republican leaders to slash the state's personal income tax.

Superintendents from three school districts joined House Democrats on Wednesday to blast Gov. Mary Fallin's proposal to cut Oklahoma's top personal income tax rate from 5.25 percent to 5 percent.

Fallin has made cutting the state's income tax a priority. She says it will make the state more attractive to business and help improve the overall economy. When fully implemented, the cut of a quarter of a percent will cost the state about $120 million annually.

Democrats maintain that the money is desperately needed to offset several years of declining state funding for education, coupled with an increase in the number of public school students.

This comes as the Oklahoma Policy Institute says the state's public schools already stand to lose a significant amount of funding as a result of a measure eliminating the intangible property tax, which was passed last November. Federal budget cuts, too, mean some schools with high poverty rates will lose funding.

3/5/2013 Related Story: Eliminating Intangible Property Tax Means Deep Cuts For OK Schools

3/1/2013 Related Story: Tulsa Public Schools Stand To Lose Nearly $1 Million In Sequestration