OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday called a special session of the 59th Oklahoma Legislature to seek a cut in the state’s personal income tax.
According to a news release from the Governor’s Office, Stitt is targeting an income tax cut of 0.25% for all Oklahomans.
“From day one, I have called on the Legislature to give Oklahomans a well-deserved tax break,” Stitt said. “With record savings and a strong economic outlook, there is no better time than the present to provide a pay raise for all Oklahomans. Let’s get to the finish line before we head into the regular session.
The special session is scheduled to begin on January 29.
In response to Stitt’s call for a special session, Oklahoma House Democratic Leader Cindy Munson issued the following statement.
The governor’s call for a special session to cut income taxes is just his latest political ploy, not a real attempt to reduce costs to Oklahoma families. We have not even completed our agency budget hearings to get a comprehensive understanding of our state’s fiscal picture, including the potential loss of federal dollars post-COVID.
We will have four months starting on February 5th to discuss financial and political ideas. It is our job as legislators to work on these important issues, as we are called to do every year. Instead, the governor is asking us to waste time and taxpayer money by throwing ideas at the wall to see what will work. It is unwise and fiscally irresponsible to ask the Legislature to cut revenues arbitrarily.
Why does the governor insist that we keep doing what we were doing when it didn’t work? It’s time to invest in Oklahoma.
Rep. Cindy Munson, Democrat of Oklahoma City