The head of the Oklahoma Policy Institute doubts the new budget plans will become reality. David Blatt says the cigarette tax hike would require a two-thirds majority and the Republicans don’t have it.
David Blatt; "Oklahoma's structural budget problems will not be solved while lawmakers insist on asking nothing from the wealthiest households and most profitable businesses in our state. This proposal simply continues the political grandstanding that has prevented the obvious, popular, and fair solution preferred by a large majority of Oklahomans."
He says that would require increasing the gross production tax and rolling back tax cuts for the wealthy.