State Supreme Court Ruling Provides Certainty

Justices right to rule in favor of legislative, public intent

Oklahoma City (December 2, 2014) – Today’s decision by the State Supreme Court to uphold the intent of State Question 640 provides certainty for the taxpayer and closes the book on any future attempts at misconstruing the wording of the ballot initiative.
 
“We are happy that the justices sided with common sense this time,” said State Chamber President and CEO Fred Morgan. “Everyone knew the goal of State Question 640 was to make it harder to raise taxes, not impede the process of lowering them.”

Had the justices decided that the language of SQ 640 required a supermajority of legislators to approve tax cuts as well as tax increases, it would have put future – and possibly even past – attempts at tax reform in jeopardy. The ruling keeps in place the logical system Oklahoma voters intended: raising taxes requires a supermajority of the legislature or a vote of the people while cutting taxes does not.

“We have seen the results of a lower tax structure in the state and it’s good to know that two decades’ worth of work has not been overturned by the courts,” said Morgan.

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