Penny unwise: School tax position could repel growth

At a recent legislative hearing, Oklahoma State School Boards Association Executive Director Jeff Mills claimed school funding will be cut if two state questions pass this fall. One of those ballot measures would limit the growth of property valuations to 3 percent. That isn't a cut, just a slower rate of growth.

The other measure, State Question 766, would exempt intangible personal property from ad valorem taxation. For the most part, this means that items like advertising campaigns and trademarks — which have never been taxed — will remain untaxed. That's not a funding cut either.

SQ 766 does repeal some existing taxation of intangible assets now assessed through the state Board of Equalization, which could have a $42 million impact on school funding. But that amount will likely be offset by standard growth in annual property tax collections. K-12 education funding alone has increased as much as $56 million in a single year through growth in ad valorem collections.