Oklahoma Revenuses On The Rise

Early projections show Oklahoma lawmakers will have about $214 million more than last year to spend on next year’s state budget, despite huge reductions in oil and gas tax revenue.

Secretary of Finance Preston Doerflinger said Wednesday the State Board of Equalization is expected to certify about $7 billion in revenue that Republican Governor Mary Fallin will use to build her executive budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The board is expected to certify that amount during its regular meeting on Thursday, then meet again in February for a final certification.

The increase of about 3.1 percent over last year’s spending comes despite a major reduction in the amount of revenue from the production of oil and natural gas. Much of that reduction is due to recently enacted drilling tax credits.