Budget & Tax

Court upholds taxpayer protections

August 18, 2017

Trent England

The Oklahoma Supreme Court today struck down the revenue provisions in Senate Bill 845 and, in so doing, upheld limits on legislative power that were added to the Oklahoma Constitution by voters a quarter century ago. Those who passed State Question 640 “did not intend that the Legislature could blatantly tax them without complying with [the amendment] by merely wordsmithing their bills,” writes Justice Patrick Wyrick.

Writing for the Court, Justice Wyrick points out that the Oklahoma Constitution contains several provisions all designed to limit the taxing, spending, and borrowing power of state government. (State Question 640, when passed, became Article V, Section 33, of the Oklahoma Constitution.)