It is Halloween, and things are getting somewhat spooky around the Capitol. Most of us can remember “ghost employees.” For a refresher, these were people placed on state agency payrolls as a “political” favor, but there was no evidence they did any actual work. Now I’ve encountered “ghost taxes.” This is when taxes are charged to citizens when no product exists. When you purchase a vehicle in the state of Oklahoma, and you have it tagged at Service Oklahoma, there is a 30% chance that the value for the excise tax portion will have an average of $4,000 dollars added to it for an average overcharge of $130 dollars. This is what I refer to as a “ghost tax.” It’s added to the cost of registering your vehicle. I hope to get some of this corrected this session.
Early voting will have already started by the time this column is in print. It is time to cast your ballot. I think what really is different this cycle is that so much attention is being focused on retention of our judges. They have always been on your ballot in the past, but this year resources are available for you to actually look at one’s voting record. You always could, but never has it been publicized as it is of late. Some are frustrated with judges that rule laws unconstitutional in a way that does not align with their personal beliefs. Others are fine with the judges currently serving in our courts.
Another question on your ballot has to do with developers being able to tap into property taxes to pay for infrastructure costs for a particular development. Our state Constitution is very clear what we can and cannot pay with our property taxes. There are those that believe property taxes are a “cash cow” that should be used to pay for almost anything and everything. Others believe the Constitution should stay as it is.
Do your research on all these issues, and become an informed voter.
As always, thank You for allowing me to serve you. I can be reached at (405) 557-7381 or by email at jim.grego@okhouse.gov.
Jim Grego serves District 17 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes Latimer County and part and Pittsburg County.