The Antlers American
May
17 g ,
2018
Page
Little Dixie Democrats
A04 By Teresa Black Bradway
Pushmataha County
Clip Democrats Vice-Chair
resized
50%
The Legislature’s
gone home.
It will take years for
Oklahoma to overcome the
damage they’ve done to the
state.
Some agencies lost
nearly half their budget in
recent years.
employees were let go.
Valuable
Some left for other states to
work.
The Legislature
passed $474 million in new
taxes and boosted spending
to some agencies. But these
agencies have been cut to
pieces for years.
The dollars and
cents of these harsh cuts
were explained by
Republican Gary Jones,
Oklahoma’s state auditor,
and a CPA, at a forum spon-
sored by The Oklahoman.
Jones said, “If you
look back, in the last 20
years we’ve lowered the
income tax from 7 percent to
5 percent. Every quarter-
cent reduction is 160 million
dollars. Eight quarters is
1.28 billion.”
“We lowered the
gross production tax for the
first three years from 7 to 2
[percent] because politicians
got behind closed doors with
their major donors and gave
‘em a sweetheart deal
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
g p p
Raising that back up to 5 Republicans’ choice. A tax package.
percent is not raising taxes. recent poll showed a three- Drew Edmondson,
It’s putting it at a reasonable way tie between Lt. Gov. the leading Democratic can-
level,” Jones said. Todd Lamb, Kevin Stitt and didate for governor, asks us
Jones said he pro- Mick Cornett for first in the to “take Oklahoma back”
posed the tax increase plan race for the Republican from those who got us in this
which passed after he saw gubernatorial nomination, trouble.
other bills fail. He men- NewsOK Blogs reported. We need a governor
tioned it to Republicans for a Cornett, former AND legislators who will
year. Then, he mentioned it mayor of Oklahoma City, rebuild Oklahoma.
to Democrats. “Would I said he was glad the gover-
sign that bill? It was my nor signed the bill. Lamb,
plan,” he said.
Jones does not
Dan Fisher, Kevin Stitt and
Gary Richardson said they
YOU ST
W
appear to be the would not have signed the
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