AFP: A ‘Bad Idea,’ Special Session Means More Spending, Higher Taxes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 6, 2017
AFP Oklahoma Comments on Governor Fallin’s Call for Special Session
Grassroots group calls on legislature to look at spending cuts, not raising taxes.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Americans for Prosperity Oklahoma (AFP OK) responded to Governor Fallin’s call for a special legislative session to address an anticipated $215 million budget shortfall.
In 2016, the tax commission estimated a new $1.50 per pack tax on cigarettes would generate $184 million in new revenue. Lawmakers passed the increase as a cigarette cessation ‘fee’ in the final days of session this year. The Oklahoma Supreme Court struck down the measure, deeming the fee a tax, making passage in the final days of session unconstitutional.
AFP OK State Director John Tidwell issued the following statement:
“Any call for a special session without a plan to address our state’s fiscal health is a bad idea. All that usually comes from special sessions are new taxes, more spending – never a plan to right-size state government. The state of Oklahoma is planning to spend more money than ever next year, an increase of more than 27% over the last decade.”
“Nothing has been done to address how our state balances the books and what we spend our dollars on. Our state can find a solution that doesn’t involve a tax increase but it will require spending cuts. Families can’t balance their checkbook by raising taxes; they have to live within their means and the government should do the same.”
Americans for Prosperity (AFP) exists to recruit, educate, and mobilize citizens in support of the policies and goals of a free society at the local, state, and federal level, helping every American live their dream – especially the least fortunate. AFP has more than 3.2 million activists across the nation, a local infrastructure that includes 36 state chapters, and has received financial support from more than 100,000 Americans in all 50 states. For more information, visit www.AmericansForProsperity.org
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