Time to raise taxes

In 2015, the League of Women Voters of Oklahoma voted to conduct a twoyear study of Oklahoma’s fiscal policy. The decision to study fiscal policy was based on the belief that our fiscal policy is at the core of many of the problems we currently experience. We applaud Gov. Fallin’s decision to call the Legislature into special session to address the state’s budgetary issues. We also applaud her insistence that the state’s budgetary problems not be addressed through further cuts to agencies that have suffered repeated cuts over the past four years.

We know there is no simple answer to the budgetary situation in which Oklahoma finds itself. However, long-term planning is essential. Our research showed that cuts to agencies and the failure to address critical issues such as raises for teachers and other public employees were the result of tax cuts as well as an increasing number of tax incentives and credits. Since these factors are the primary cause of the budget shortfalls of the past three years, it’s these factors that must be addressed first. Raising the cigarette tax will not solve Oklahoma’s budget problems either in the short or the long term. Gross production taxes as well as individual and corporate tax rates must also be raised. And, tax credits and incentives should be revoked until the state finds itself on a more stable financial footing. The people of Oklahoma are counting on their legislators to make responsible decisions.

Karen Cardenas, Tulsa