Oil taxes isn't what caused the state's budget woes. A huge drop in the price of oil (from well over $100 per barrel to less than $50) and a long stead decline (over 1 million barrels of oil per day about 10 years ago to around 1/2 of that today). Also the state has almost no other good sources of revenue. Oil has provided over 80% of the revenue for decades, not finding other good sources of revenue has "put us in this pickle."