Oklahoma’s nearly $10 billion state budget has been released but no cuts will be made to the grocery tax.The budget gives taxpayers a small, relief stimulus check along with a hefty package to attract Panasonic to the state.Meanwhile, no cuts will be made to the state’s 4.5% grocery tax, according to the budget currently making its way through the halls of the Capitol.One of the lawmakers who helped craft acknowledged a grocery tax was popular but wasn’t sure they could justify doing it for only two years and unsure if it would make financial sense to kill the tax for good."I think you'll see more discussion on the grocery tax in years to come," said Sen. Roger Thompson, (R) Okemah.Thompson said grocery tax could happen eventually."In my hometown of Okemah, there's still a 5.5 percent on groceries even if you do away with the 4.5 percent and there's nothing in that bill that would prevent any town or community from raising that tax right back up again," Thompson said.He also worries if the state portion of the grocery tax was done away with, relief wouldn’t be granted."We just felt that it was important to get that relief to Oklahomans, especially at a time when prices are high and inflation is high so it's really disappointing that bipartisan measure was not included in this budget," said state Rep. Emily Virgin, (D) Norman.Before lawmakers met this session, leaders on both sides of the aisle thought a grocery tax was something they could agree on. Virgin said help with groceries is needed now."If you're a single mom who has four kids and you're working a couple minimum wage jobs, you're paying a larger percentage of your income when you have a flat tax like the sales tax, so that person needs that relief at the grocery store," Virgin said.The budget has passed committees in both the Senate and the House and heads to each chamber before it can be signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt.