Oklahoma lawmakers to mull tax cuts during special session

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Legislature will return to the Capitol for a particular session to think about tax cuts the governor desires and how you can allocate federal COVID-19 aid funds that had been a part of the American Rescue Plan Act.

After the session opens Monday, Gov. Kevin Stitt desires lawmakers to think about eliminating the state gross sales tax on groceries and decreasing the highest particular person earnings tax charge from 4.75% to 4.5%.

“Oklahoma is one in all simply 13 states that taxes groceries, and it most impacts the individuals who can least afford it. Our sturdy fiscal self-discipline through the years has given us the flexibility to remove this tax and now could be the precise time to do it,” Stitt mentioned when he introduced final month that he deliberate to ask lawmakers to return.

It’s not clear whether or not the GOP-controlled Home and Senate would have the votes to approve each of these objects. Democrats assist eliminating the grocery tax, however they oppose decreasing the person earnings tax.

Some Republicans even have urged warning about chopping taxes, because it takes a three-fourth’s vote from the Legislature to extend taxes. However Home Speaker Charles McCall mentioned in an announcement that unspecified payments meant to offset inflation will probably be launched.

“Home Republicans assist all plans and paths to get Oklahomans essentially the most inflation aid attainable,” McCall mentioned.

Particulars of the payments weren’t launched, however McCall mentioned they are going to be launched Monday and handle the non-public earnings tax, grocery tax and enterprise taxes.

“We anticipate some mixture of those payments, however not all of them, to achieve the end line and grow to be legislation,” in keeping with McCall.

The Legislature, in the meantime, has referred to as a particular session of its personal to find out how finest to distribute the $1.8 billion allotted to Oklahoma by the federal authorities. In line with a joint Home and Senate press launch, among the many proposals they’re anticipated to think about on Monday are:

— $15 million to finish a College of Optometry at Northeastern State College in Tahlequah.

— $8.8 million for initiatives addressing the nursing workforce scarcity.

— $250,000 for the Well being Workforce Coaching Fee to manage nursing workforce packages.

— $25 million for a grant pool for eligible nonprofit restoration packages.

— $39.4 million to finish the Oklahoma Kids’s Hospital Behavioral Well being Heart.

— $500,000 to offer preliminary assist to open a State Broadband Workplace, which legislative leaders say will probably be reimbursed via different federal funds as soon as they’ve been accessed.