Everything 'on the table' as lawmakers tackle $868M budget hole, Republican Senate leader says

Everything, including new revenue sources, “will have to be on the table” as lawmakers grapple with an $868 million budget hole, Senate President Pro Tem Mike Schulz said Thursday.

“There is no one thing, no silver bullet” that will solve the problem, Schulz said during a morning news conference at the Tulsa Press Club. “Certainly, discussions are going on about revenue-raising measures.”

Among those measures are a broadening of the state sales tax to services not currently taxed, accelerated elimination of a renewable energy tax credit and an increase in the state tobacco tax.

“One thing we need to be careful about … is that you can wreck an economy if you act too fast,” said Schulz, R-Altus.

Read more: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/capitol_report/everything-on-the-table-as-lawmakers-tackle-million-budget-hole/article_33428586-9af0-58a4-8c9f-65cb6068f854.html