Battle Heats Up Over Governor's Income Tax Reduction Proposal

The debate over the governor's plan to cut personal income tax is heating up.

The governor is proposing reducing the amount we all pay in state income tax and eventually doing away with it.

The governor first introduced her plan at the capitol during the State of the State address on Monday. She says by eliminating tax loopholes and making government more efficient, the state can put more money in all of our pockets.

In the game of life, the saying goes, the only sure things are death and taxes. The Springers certainly understand that. Hillary does the taxes for the family of four.

"Who likes paying taxes? Nobody does," she said.

Fallin is proposing to consolidate the number of tax brackets from seven to just three for both single and married people. Those in the lowest tax bracket wouldn't have to pay any state income tax. In the Springers' case, the middle bracket, their rate would be reduced from 5.25 to 2.25 percent.

"The average Oklahoman, it's probably going to save them like 3 percent give or take," said CPA Joshua Jenson. "It would definitely be like getting a 2 percent raise. I would say for the lower income it could be like a 3.5 to 4 percent raise because there's a much higher threshold where they don't have to pay any tax."

It's move on the governor's part that Hillary says, for her family, could be a game changer.

"That would be amazing. We wouldn't have to live paycheck to paycheck every time. That would be nice," she said.

Of course, in the tax code nothing is that simple. The governor's budget released today suggests cutting some tax credits, and for those who take advantage, the reduction wouldn't be as significant. Jenson says some people may even see a tax increase.

Those opposed to the governor's plan say the math doesn't add up and would not be revenue-neutral as Governor Fallin suggests.

To see how your taxes might change, read Governor Fallin's Tax Reduction Proposal.