Latest news with #TaxCommission
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Financial issues found leading up to Mental Health Commissioner appointment
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The Oklahoma Attorney General has shed light on financial troubles seen in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Commissioner Allie Friesen's past. The Commissioner then allegedly sent an email to employees calling out the AG on that. 'How can we expect a taxpayer who doesn't properly handle their own personal finances to be in charge of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars?' Attorney General Gentner Drummond posted on social media Wednesday night, along with several past Tax Commission documents that showed Commissioner Friesen received liens from the state for several years of unpaid taxes. Drummond is running for Oklahoma's Governor, and recently called for Friesen's firing after lawmakers found several dozen million dollars were missing from the department. The documents the Drummond posted on Wednesday showed that Commissioner Friesen's recent lien on her property was released a day before Governor Stitt announced her appointment as Mental Health Commissioner. Report: Oklahoma mental health agency facing nearly $30 million budget hole When Stitt's office was asked if they knew about the financial troubles leading up to her appointment and for a statement, they responded with, 'Her taxes are paid. This is a desperate campaign tactic by Gentner Drummond. Oklahomans see through his game, and I'm sure they truly wish he would return to the work their taxpayers are paying him to do.' This comes as her department is under much scrutiny. The state auditor's office released findings from a scathing audit that reported their preliminary recommendations included hiring a qualified CFO with state government financial experience as soon as possible, evaluating the qualifications of recent executive hires, and scrutinizing recent and ongoing terminations to ensure they aren't retaliatory. An anonymous employee under the Department of Mental Health sent News 4 an email that was allegedly sent by Commissioner Friesen, which reacted to the AG's social media post. It reads in part: 'A Message from Commissioner Friesen: Recent Social Media Post Team, I want to address a recent social media post made by the Attorney General regarding tax liens that were filed against me personally— an issue that is, without question, fully resolved. These matters have been paid in full, long ago, and are not reflective of my ability to lead or serve. To be very clear: this is a non-issue being weaponized for political gain. What is an issue and one I cannot ignore—is the blatant violation of character, the disturbing misuse of public office, and the sustained campaign of political bullying I have endured from the Attorney General of our state. His anger toward me stems from one thing: I was the first leader in Oklahoma to remove him from a position of influence—and that decision was the right one. This is what it looks like when someone with power chooses to abuse it rather than use it for good. His post wasn't about accountability. It wasn't about truth. It was about retaliation. It was about ego. Let me say this plainly: we will not be distracted by individuals who see our agency's financial challenges-and our bold, courageous leadership to transform this system— as an opportunity to attack, rather than a chance to stand shoulder to shoulder in service to the people of Oklahoma. It is disheartening that some view our work as a threat to their influence. It is disappointing that, instead of leaning in to support meaningful reform, they choose to tear down those who are willing to do the hard work. But I will not be deterred and neither should you. To every single employee: You may not agree with every decision we make as an administration. That's okay. That's healthy. But you do have a choice in whether you support good over evil. And make no mistake—this kind of response is exactly what happens when you call out corruption. If we weren't doing something right, they wouldn't come for us like this. Our mission remains clear. Our purpose is stronger than ever. And as your Commissioner, I will continue to stand firmly-for you, for our organization, and for the people we serve. We will keep moving forward. We will keep doing what's right—even when it's hard. And we will not let those who thrive on intimidation, manipulation, or fear define who we are or what we accomplish. With Appreciation, Allie Friesen Email from anonymous public employee of Dept. of Mental Health 'I'm deeply concerned that a lot of what we've heard from the commissioner seems to be the position of the governor. I'm concerned about ongoing leadership,' said Senator Julia Kirt (D-OKC). Commissioner Friesen responded to the AG's posts to News 4 and said, 'The Friesen family has fulfilled all tax obligations, and the matter referenced was fully resolved with the Oklahoma Tax Commission prior to Commissioner Friesen's confirmation. The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services remains firmly committed to transparency and accountability. Under Commissioner Friesen's leadership, the agency has taken proactive steps to bring to light and address long-standing financial and operational issues. We continue to work closely with Governor Stitt, legislative leaders and have actively sought independent audits and investigations to ensure integrity in all aspects of our operations.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oklahoma agencies publish private school tax credit recipients under transparency law
Evie Jenney teaches theology at Cristo Rey Catholic High School in Oklahoma City on May 20, 2024. The school is one of more than 200 participating in the Parental Choice Tax Credit. (Photo by Ted Streuli/Oklahoma Watch) Oklahoma officials have released the names of the thousands of taxpayers who received the new Parental Choice Tax Credit for tuition and expenses at private schools. After repeated requests by Oklahoma Watch dating back to December, the Oklahoma Tax Commission sent the tax credit recipient data to the state's open data website. The information is limited to just the name of the taxpayer and the amount of private school tax credits they received in 2024. It doesn't include school or student information. The tax credit program provides up to $7,500 annually per child for private school expenses. Lawmakers capped the overall cost of the program at $150 million in tax year 2024, but it rises to $250 million in tax year 2026. If they qualified, most taxpayers received half the credit early in the year and the other half later in the year. The total credit amount doesn't show how many children in a family received the private school tuition tax credit. The top recipient received more than $24,000 in tax credits in the second half of 2024, according to the data. The data is posted at the state's open data website, which is maintained by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services. Oklahoma Watch requested private school tax credit data in December from the Tax Commission under the Oklahoma Open Records Act and the Oklahoma Taxpayer Transparency Act. Though most taxpayer data is confidential, recipients of tax credits are an exception under the taxpayer transparency law. Lawmakers passed that law in 2010 to address budget planning issues caused by transferable tax credits. Initially, the Tax Commission referred Oklahoma Watch's request to the state's open data website, which lacked the relevant data. Commission attorneys later determined the data could only be released through the Office of Management and Enterprise Services. Although the Tax Commission administers the program, it would not release the data directly. After a delay and agency miscommunication, the data was finally posted on the state's open data site on April 29. The Tax Commission last week released its latest snapshot of the recipients of the Parental Choice Tax Credit. It showed just 2,963 of the 36,921 students approved for the tax credit so far this year were enrolled in public school the previous semester. In setting up the program, lawmakers gave priority consideration to families making an adjusted gross income of less than $75,000. Proponents frequently referred to that group as 'low income,' even though the state's median household income is $63,600. About 2,700, or 9%, of the students in the program came from families that qualify for income-based public assistance programs, according to the data snapshot. More than 27,000 students receiving the private school tax credit – almost 75% – came from families with household incomes above $75,000, according to the latest Tax Commission data. Shiloh Kantz, executive director of the Oklahoma Policy Institute, said at a minimum, lawmakers should put additional accountability measures into the Parental Choice Tax Credit program. She said it would be helpful to know which private school the student attended and the local public school district. There should also be regular audits of the credit and the percentage of audits where errors were found. Those types of safeguards are built into state and federal programs like the earned-income tax credit, food stamps and Medicaid that benefit low-income families. 'We got told this program will uplift educational outcomes, that it offers families educational choice and opportunity through that choice,' Kantz said. 'But really it just rewards those people who can already afford private education, and it just leaves our public school students further behind, especially in a state where one in five kids live in poverty.' Kantz said few private schools are adding capacity to take additional students. Meanwhile, some schools have increased tuition since the tax credit was implemented. 'So it is not about having parental choice,' Kantz said. 'It is about checking a box as a political red state to say, 'We did the thing.' But it's not helping working Oklahomans.' The Legislature considered several changes to the program this year. Lawmakers didn't act on Senate Bill 229, by Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, this session. It would have eliminated the $250 million annual cap on the private school tax credit, a change Gov. Kevin Stitt called for at a rally at the Capitol in March celebrating the private school tax credit program. SB 684, by Senate Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, could come up for a vote in the House this week. It mostly deals with accreditation organizations for private schools participating in the Parental Choice Tax Credit. But it also prioritizes existing recipients if they still meet income eligibility requirements. This article first appeared on Oklahoma Watch and is republished here.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers agree on Oklahoma budget, could see income tax cut
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Lawmakers quickly met Wednesday afternoon to announce they agreed on the upcoming budget. The big ticket item was the income tax cut proposal. Lawmakers announced that there will be an elimination of the bottom three brackets, and the rest see a .25% cut. 'We still have three-and-a-half billion dollars in savings,' said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow). Below is a grid from the Tax Commission that displays the tax brackets. This isn't a .50% cut that the governor had been pushing for, but it is a path. 'You know, the Pro Tem had a great analogy of someone making $33,000 a year. With the flattening of those brackets, would save around $160 I think was his, was his number. And that's very meaningful for a working family in the state of Oklahoma,' said Governor Kevin Stitt. In total, the proposal for the new year's budget amounts to $12.59 billion. Things that weren't added included the Department of Education (Supt. Ryan Walters') request for $3 million in Trump Bibles to put in every classroom and the $500,000 for concealed carry training for employees. Agencies requested much more than was agreed upon. According to the budget transparency website, they had asked for $13.31 billion. Several new additions were announced that were included in this preliminary budget agreement. $250 million is to be spent on a new Veterinary Medicine school. $312 million will go to a prison purchase in Lawton. Even a new pediatric heart hospital was included in this budget agreement. Last year, the Tax Commission found that the biggest cost that hit Oklahoma revenue was the Private School Choice Tax Credit and the Grocery Sales Tax Cut. Oklahomans speak out, write letters against bill restricting statewide ballot initiatives Another question arose surrounding the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. There have been many questions around millions missing from the current budget and what will happen to their future budget. NonDoc reported this week that the budget shortfall for ODMHSAS was around $27 million, but when asked Wednesday, lawmakers said that number is closer to $30 million. That money will have to head their way soon. 'Underscoring Lawson's questions about creating certainty for a supplemental figure, House Appropriations and Budget Committee Chairman Trey Caldwell reported Wednesday that LOFT had conducted its own review and determined ODMHSAS would need closer to $30.6 million in funding to get through the rest of the fiscal year.' – from NonDoc. 'The tentative plan on the entirety of the mental health budget is to stop the bleeding,' said House Budget Chair Trey Caldwell. On Wednesday, Democrats reacted to this proposed budget agreement. 'Senate Democrats have consistently prioritized a bipartisan budget that solves real problems for Oklahomans – one that focuses on working families, not big companies and well-connected people. We've advocated for a budget that provides a great education for every student, not $50 million for vouchers with little to no oversight or accountability. We believe our budget should help make sure Oklahomans can see a doctor when they need one and not have to wait months for health care. We don't believe this budget prioritizes people,' said Senate Democrat Leader Julia Kirt. There are still several steps before this budget agreement reaches it's finalization stage but this is one of the earliest that lawmakers have come together on a preliminary budget agreement in years. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Most Private School Tax Credit recipients came from families making $75K+
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — New Tax Commission numbers released this week show most recipients approved for the Parental Choice Tax Credit were awarded to families earning above average income. The total amount approved was $236 million with a cap of $250 million. Oklahoma Policy Institute first reported the findings earlier this week and found that families earning more than $250k/year made up more than 1 in 4 recipients. The numbers showed that most of the money went to students who had already been enrolled in private school, too. It showed that just 2,963 of the 36,921 students approved for the tax credit so far this year were enrolled in public school the previous semester. Lifting cap on Oklahoma's School Choice Tax Credit could have high cost 'They were sold as being a way to help public school kids who were in bad public schools get into private school. Clearly that's not the case since 92% of the people using them are already in private schools,' said Senator Julia Kirt (D-Oklahoma City). Also, almost 75% came from families with household incomes above $75,000, according to the latest Tax Commission data. Numbers from March showed that a $27.1 million portion, about 30%, went to families making below $75,000 a year. A nearly equal amount, $26.3 million, went to families making between $75,000 and $150,000. Another $15.7 million, or 17%, went to families making between $150,000 and $225,000. 'Almost half of the folks that are receiving the tax credits are making more than $150,000 annually, and 92% of the families were already in private school to begin with. So, again, the question that we have is, who's getting a different choice now?' asked Senator Carrie Hicks (D-Oklahoma City). Republicans have long approved of the program. Governor Stitt has asked as recently as March for there not to be a cap on the program. On Wednesday, News 4 asked the governor's office if they had looked at the recent snapshot from the Tax Commission and if he still wants the cap removed. We have not heard back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Governor Stitt calls to extend the cap on Parental Choice Tax Credit
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Despite numbers showing that most of the money in the Parental Choice Tax Credit program went to rich families, Governor Kevin Stitt called to extend the cap on it on Wednesday. 'So it is time to raise the cap, right? 100%. And the other thing is, I've been telling the legislature, we've got to make sure that we, if you've already got the credit and you're going to a school, we can't take that away,' said the governor at a Wednesday rally. The rally was held outside of the State Capitol in support of the Parental Choice Tax Credit program. In attendance were parents, students, administrators, and more who were there to thank the legislature. The Tulsa World first reported on the findings that around 75% of the recipients of the program had a median income of over $75,000. The median overall income for Oklahoma households is just over $65,000. Originally, the program was promised as a way to give families who couldn't normally afford private schools a chance. Data reveals Oklahoma school choice program sending significant share of funds to wealthiest families The Tax Commission came out with numbers that showed Oklahoma paid out $91.7 million to families taking part in the Parental Choice Tax Credit system. That money was divided among families based on their income. A $27.1 million portion, about 30%, went to families making below $75,000 a year. A nearly equal amount, $26.3 million, went to families making between $75,000 and $150,000. Another $15.7 million, or 17%, went to families making between $150,000 and $225,000. 'Those who say the richest families got the most credits, that's simply not true,' said Gov. Stitt. At his weekly presser conference, the governor was asked about the Tax Commission's numbers, but he seemed not to believe it. And the Tulsa World was the first to report on the $5 million trying to be clawed back from families who either didn't stay at the private school or weren't supposed to have the money. 'I don't think it's fair to the students and I don't think it's fair to the parents,' said Senator Carri Hicks (D-OKC). Parental Choice Tax Credit used to pay off debts before tuition Senator Hicks says she has long been against the voucher program. The one in Oklahoma, she says, is filled with issues and has barely any oversight. She said that, especially now that Oklahoma Education is one of the lowest ranking in the nation, there is still a massive teacher shortage, among other issues. 'That money is needed in public education,' said Senator Hicks. She has complained that there is little oversight on the program. There is a bill in the House and Senate that attempts to put some requirements on the program but she said more is definitely needed. 'And the numbers are not great. Truly, when you're breaking it down as to how the state is entrusting this program to invest those dollars, it's very clear that we do not have enough oversight or accountability for the program,' said Senator Hicks. Several spoke at Wednesday's rally in support and said that it did help them and their children afford the education they wanted. Senator Hicks said many families can barely afford food on the table at night, let alone some sort of private school education. She said more money is needed in public education. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
