Gov. Stitt calls special session, seeks income tax reduction

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — On Tuesday, Governor Kevin Stitt called for a special session of Oklahoma's 59th Legislature to seek a reduction in the state's personal income tax.

According to a press release from the Governor's Office, Stitt is targeting a 0.25% income tax reduction for all Oklahomans.

“From day one, I’ve called on the Legislature to give Oklahomans a much deserved tax cut," Stitt said. "With record-breaking savings and a strong economic outlook, there's no time like the present to deliver a pay raise to all Oklahomans. Let’s get this across the finish line before we head into regular session."

The special session is scheduled to begin on January 29.

In response to Stitt's call for a special session, Oklahoma House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson released the following statement.

The Governor’s call for a Special Session to cut income taxes is just his latest political stunt, and it is not a genuine attempt to lower costs for Oklahoma families. We have not even completed our agency budget hearings to gain a comprehensive understanding of our state's fiscal picture, including the potential loss of federal dollars post-Covid.

We will have four months beginning February 5 to deliberate fiscal and policy ideas. Our job as legislators is to work through these important issues, as we are called to do every year. Instead, the Governor is asking us to waste time and taxpayer dollars by throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks. It is unwise and fiscally irresponsible to ask the Legislature to haphazardly cut revenue.

Why does the Governor insist we keep doing what we’ve been doing when it hasn’t worked? It is time to invest in Oklahoma.

Rep. Cyndi Munson, D-OKC

Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat also released a statement on Tuesday, referring to Stitt's call for a special session a week prior to the start of the regular session on February 5 "a needless waste of taxpayer money."

It is disappointing the governor would call another special session. I met with the governor and Speaker McCall Thursday. The governor laid out his intentions for a special session regarding tax cuts. I outlined to the governor, we will not know how much money the state will have to spend on a tax cut until the Board of Equalization meets to certify budget numbers in mid-February.

It is unfortunate the governor has chosen this route. The Senate will adhere to the call of the special session, as we have always done to respect and uphold our constitutional duty. However, I do not know what will be different between the last week in January and the last time he pulled this stunt in October

Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-OKC

Senate Democratic Leader Kay Floyd also released a statement regarding the special session call.

We’re still analyzing the figures from December’s initial certification by the Board of Equalization and won’t get the final certification numbers until mid-February. We have not yet concluded budget hearings with state agencies. That information and additional data are critical to this discussion. To undertake statewide, comprehensive tax reform in five days, without committee work and public vetting and input, would serve no other purpose than to place politics over policy. The governor’s call for a special session just one week before the regular session begins does not serve the best interest of this state or its citizens.

Senator Kay Floyd, D-OKC