Republicans deliver tax hikes in Oklahoma budget for 2018

[...] Republicans like Taylor who campaigned on lower taxes and smaller government delivered neither during the 2017 session that ended on Friday, as a budget crisis forced lawmakers to come up with creative ways to generate revenue and keep state programs afloat.

Gov. Mary Fallin said the budget plan is far from perfect but indicated she would sign it because it maintains flat funding or provides slight funding boosts to 15 "core-mission" state agencies like Department of Human Services, Health Care Authority, prisons and public schools.

Fallin got little of what she called for in her executive budget as lawmakers rejected her proposals to increase teacher pay, eliminate the corporate income tax and the sales tax on groceries and add the state sales tax to dozens of services.

Democratic Rep. Regina Goodwin of Tulsa described the final budget as an "illegal, unconstitutional train wreck," while Democratic leader Rep. Scott Inman chastised his colleagues for passing key revenue bills in the final days of session, which also is prohibited under the state Constitution.