State Finance Secretary Preston Doerflinger this week “applauded” and then cast doubt on OCPA’s most recent budget recommendations. Secretary Doerflinger wrote, “OCPA calculates its savings as $413 million, but the majority of those savings go in the category of cost avoidance, not revenue creation.” In other words, Sec. Doerflinger conveys a clear preference for increasing taxation as opposed to reducing unnecessary overhead. Jonathan Small, President of OCPA and a CPA, responded with a call for a more honest budget debate. “Those who want higher taxes need to start being honest. While it’s amusing to watch politicians talk about ‘revenue enhancements’ and ‘investment,’ if they want higher taxes they need to admit it. Anything less is an insult to Oklahomans." “Balancing a budget means matching spending and revenue levels. In a shortfall, this can mean raising taxes or cutting spending or some combination of both. Any attempt to dismiss spending cuts (“cost avoidance”) and insist that the only legitimate topic of debate is raising taxes (“revenue creation”) is nothing more than an attempt to avoid debate altogether." |
In the two weeks since the Governor pitched her scheme to raise massive new taxes, so as to keep funding boondoggle projects, give away more taxpayer-funded gifts to special interests, give everyone a raise, and keep building a new temple at 23rd & Lincoln; Mary Fallin proposed massive tax hikes and massively-expanded service taxes on all services rendered. The House & Senate opposition is growing. George Faught posted a simple press release 10 days ago, and now nearly 30 of his colleagues from both houses are lining up with him, to condemn the Fallin Tax package. OCPA and AFP are just two of the conservative thinktanks calling for a legislative rejection. Republican Candidates are also making opposition to this package a keey talking point of their campaigns. |
Sooner Politics
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