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Brad Henry on Tax Reform
Democratic OK Governor
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Implemented two largest tax cuts in state history
Gov. Henry has implemented both targeted and broad-based tax relief throughout his time in office, including the two largest tax cuts in state history. In June 2006, Governor Henry signed legislation that will decrease the personal income tax rate from
6.25% to 5.5% over three years, with further decreases possible if the economy remains strong. That legislation also raises Oklahoma’s standard deduction to the federal level, giving a boost to middle-income Oklahomans, and eliminates the death tax.
Source: 2006 Gubernatorial website, henryforgovernor.com, “Issues”
, Nov 7, 2006
Maintain income tax
Henry’s message included a promise to fight for a state lottery to raise money for education and to oppose changing from a tax system that relies on an income tax to a system that relies more heavily on sales tax. “This plan to eliminate the income tax
and replace it with a tax on consumption will favor the wealthy and hurt average Oklahoma working families and small businesses?not to mention increasing the amount of tax dollars Oklahomans send to the federal government by more than $300 million.”
Source: 2002 Gubernatorial website, BradHenry4governor.com, "News"
, Sep 6, 2002
$12B in federal economic stimulus as state block grants.
Henry signed $12B in federal economic stimulus as state block grants
The nation's governors urge you to include state countercyclical funding as part of your legislation to stimulate the economy. This would include $6 billion in Medicaid assistance by freezing scheduled federal FMAP reductions and increasing all states' F
Congress approved $20 billion in assistance to states, including $10 billion in Medicaid and $10 billion in block grants. The governors' current stimulus proposal is essentially the same, with the exception that it is a total of $12 billion as opposed to $20 billion. This proposal can be enacted quickly, as there is precedent and it is timely, temporary and targeted.
Additionally, governors appreciate federal efforts to use tax policy to get additional money into the hands of consumers and businesses to stimulate the economy. When considering tax changes to spur economic growth, governors urge Congress and the Administration to follow the maxim of "Do no harm" by avoiding changes at the federal level that would diminish state tax revenues or force state actions that would undermine the effectiveness of federal efforts.
We look forward to working with you to enact the appropriate stimulus program.
Source: Letter from 37 governors to House & Senate Leadership NGA-0801TX on Jan 28, 2008
Page last updated: Oct 06, 2014