State Question 766: What An Oklahoma Hamburger Chain Can Teach Us About Intangible Property Taxes

• Logan Layden
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  Logan Layden is a reporter and managing editor for StateImpact Oklahoma. He is a native of McAlester, Oklahoma and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2009. Logan spent three years as a state capitol reporter and local host of All Things Considered for NPR member station KGOU in Norman and six years as a reporter with StateImpact from 2011 to 2017. Most recently, he was news director for McAlester Radio before returning to public radio in 2020.

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Intangible property is everywhere.

An item’s intangible value is determined by its non-physical attributes. Telecommunications and utility companies’ transmission lines are worth more than the material they’re made up of. They have an intangible value.

In November, Oklahoma voters will decide State Question 766, which would ban the taxation of intangible property. The failure of 766 could mean big new taxes on businesses across the spectrum, but education officials worry that Oklahoma’s schools will suffer if the initiative passes.

StateImpact’s 2012 Ballot Question Handbook

Oklahoma’s economically important state and county ballot questions — explained.