OCPA’s Small: OK Lawmakers Should Pursue Pro-Growth Policies
Jonathan Small: Oklahoma lawmakers should pursue pro-growth policies
BY JONATHAN SMALL
Policy impacts lives, therefore policymakers must pursue policies that unleash human potential and empower Oklahomans.
The clear lesson from the election is that across the country, voters rewarded bold and transformational leaders who promote pro-growth policies. Oklahoma lawmakers have the opportunity in 2015 to pursue pro-growth policies in a number of areas.
The key to any Oklahoman releasing his or her full potential is the ability to work and to lead a productive life. Unfortunately, Oklahoma assesses a penalty on the work and productive activity of most Oklahomans in the form of a personal income tax. If Oklahomans don’t act to gradually phase out the penalty on work, no-income tax states will continue to have a competitive advantage over Oklahoma.
If things remain as they are, when our children and Oklahoma’s future generations are faced with the decision of where to go for opportunity, we’ll be forced to be honest with them and say that places such as Dallas, Houston, Frisco, Lewisville, Abilene, Plano, Orlando, Fort Myers and elsewhere hold better promise than Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Edmond, Broken Arrow, Enid or Bartlesville. This coming year is when Oklahoma should set in motion the complete phaseout of the penalty on work, the state’s personal income tax. This must be our highest priority.