Curtis Shelton

OSSAA generates millions annually

August 21, 2025 Curtis Shelton

The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) is the governing body for high school sports and other school competitions in Oklahoma. Most schools are members and pay a fee to be a part of OSSAA. Think of it as the high school equivalent of the NCAA. The most recent tax year, 2024, shows that the…

SQ 832: National costs, and local consequences

August 14, 2025 Curtis Shelton

A new Oklahoma ballot proposal, State Question 832, would significantly increase the state’s minimum wage by tying it to the cost of living in expensive urban areas. The measure is on the ballot on June 16, 2026. Let us imagine that this ballot proposal would have passed, say, 10 years ago. If that were the…

The real cost of ‘top two’: Taxifornia shows us what happens

August 14, 2025 Curtis Shelton

The claim has been made that State Question 836, which changes Oklahoma’s primary election to a “top-two” model, would benefit taxpayers. Real-world experience suggests otherwise. Since California adopted a “top-two” primary election system in 2010, the tax burden on Californians has skyrocketed. The 15 years preceding the implementation of the “top-two” primary saw a rate…

SQ 832: National costs and local consequences

July 31, 2025 Curtis Shelton

SB1027 would give OK voters a clearer picture of ballot-measure costs

March 13, 2025 Curtis Shelton

Oklahoma SB1027, authored by state Sen. David Bullard (R-Durant), aims at reforming the state’s initiative petition process. The bill makes a variety of reforms to the process, one of which is a requirement to reveal if a proposed measure will have a fiscal impact (and if so, where that funding would come from). This additional…

No, tax cuts didn’t cause Oklahoma budget deficits

February 20, 2025 Curtis Shelton

Did recent income-tax cuts result in a deficit for Oklahoma’s state government? Let’s look at the evidence. Over the last 20 years, Oklahoma state government revenue has grown by 51 percent when accounting for population growth and inflation. At the same time, the state reduced its income tax by 32 percent, from a top rate…

People Moving To Oklahoma Bring $1 Billion With Them

July 25, 2024 Ray Carter Curtis Shelton

Since 2019, Oklahoma has been among the states experiencing the greatest level of net domestic migration as the number of people moving to Oklahoma has exceeded those leaving the state. And those new citizens have increased Oklahoma’s net adjusted gross income by more than $1 billion, based on Internal Revenue Service data. In 2020, people…