Budget & Taxes

SB 231 expands Oklahoma's August sales tax holiday to include additional school-related items. It adds school art supplies, school instructional materials (like reference books), and school computer supplies to the list of exempt items, alongside existing clothing, footwear, and sports equipment. The exemption applies to purchases under $100 during the three-day holiday period (first Friday in August to Sunday following). This directly affects students, parents, and schools purchasing these specific educational items during the tax-free window. The bill does not change the existing tax holiday dates or price threshold.

SB 1124 requires Oklahoma school districts (excluding technology centers) to set property tax levies high enough to fully redeem bonds and pay interest within the originally proposed timeframe. If a bond is redeemed early at a discount (below par), the district must reduce its tax levy to zero for one full tax year and cannot issue new bonds for the same purpose for one year. The State Auditor enforces these rules, and non-compliant districts must transfer 10% of state aid to an education fund, or face limits on future bond issuance. The bill takes effect November 1, 2025.

SB 474 requires businesses that buy goods to resell (like wholesalers) to obtain a free permit from the Oklahoma Tax Commission to claim sales tax exemption on those purchases. Vendors must honor valid permits, and claiming exemption without one is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000. Permits expire June 30 annually and can be verified electronically by sellers through a system developed by the Tax Commission. This replaces the previous system where businesses could self-claim the exemption without verification. The bill takes effect June 1, 2026.

SB 736 creates the "Health Care Sharing Ministry Tax Parity Act," allowing Oklahoma residents who are active members of qualifying health care sharing ministries (HCSMs) to deduct their contributions from their state income tax starting in 2026. It directly affects Oklahoma residents who have been active HCSM members for at least one month during the tax year, treating their contributions like health insurance premiums for tax purposes. The bill requires the Oklahoma Tax Commission to develop forms for claiming the deduction, prohibits taxing reimbursements from HCSMs, and mandates annual reporting on the program's impact.

SB 47 modifies Oklahoma's annual license fee for coin-operated music and amusement devices, reducing the fee from $75 to $37.50 per machine. It directly affects businesses operating these devices, such as arcades or music machines, by lowering their annual licensing cost. The bill also updates fee structures for other coin-operated devices (like vending machines), clarifies billing for bulk vending devices, and makes statutory language gender-neutral. It specifies that these fees replace applicable sales taxes, and includes provisions for seasonal events like fairs. The changes take effect January 1, 2026.