Teacher, Higher Ed Tax Hike Would Catapult Metro Areas Into Tax Stratosphere
Plan to raise Oklahoma’s sales tax has supporters, detractors
by Ben Felder
Oklahoma’s two largest cities would have some of the highest sales tax rates in the nation if a one-cent increase were approved by voters in November.
The average sales tax rate across the state also would become the highest in America.
Supporters of the ballot initiative spearheaded by University of Oklahoma President David Boren — State Question 779 — say it will raise $615 million for education and teacher pay increases. But some say an increase in sales tax is not the appropriate vehicle for funding schools.
With a current rate of 8.38 percent, Oklahoma City ranks No. 14 among America’s 50 largest cities, according to the Tax Foundation. If a penny were added to the state sales tax rate, which could be proposed to voters in November for teacher pay increases, Oklahoma City’s new rate of 9.38 percent would be the fifth-highest in the nation. Tulsa, currently at 8.52 percent, would have the third-highest rate.