FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Oct. 25, 2005 Contact: Mike Osburn (405) 818-8906

Oklahoma Groups Say Citizens “Deserve to Know the Truth” About Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, Correct Misinformation About Measure

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma chapter of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation today joined with state Sen. Randy Brogdon, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs and other taxpayer advocates in saying that Oklahomans deserve to know the truth about a proposed Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) in the Sooner State.

The Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights is a state constitutional amendment that would limit the annual growth in government spending. Under a Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights, state spending could not grow faster than the rate of annual population growth plus inflation. Surplus revenue received above this amount would accrue in a budget stabilization fund and a true emergency fund while a portion would be returned to taxpayers. Tax increases or spending above the amount of the Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights limit would require voter approval. Some critics have made erroneous comparisons of Oklahoma’s proposed Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights to one that has been in effect in Colorado since 1992.

“The citizens of Oklahoma deserve to know the truth about the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights,” Mike Osburn, director of the Oklahoma chapter of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation said. “They deserve better than the fear mongering and misinformation they’ve gotten so far.”

“While the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights has certainly been an overwhelming success in Colorado – taxpayers received more than $3 billion in tax relief that helped make that state one of the nation’s leaders in economic growth and job creation in the 1990s – the version that is being proposed here in Oklahoma is even better because it works out the few kinks in Colorado’s TABOR,” said State Senator Randy Brogdon, (R-Owasso). “A couple of minor bugs were identified in Colorado, so we fixed them. We’ve essentially got TABOR 2.0 in Oklahoma.”

Mark Nichols, president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, pointed out that the criticism that TABOR critics have aimed at the measure in Oklahoma willfully ignore the fact that the proposal here addresses Colorado’s so-called “ratchet” problem, in which state spending there cannot automatically return to pre-recession levels when revenues rebound in an economic recovery. Unlike Colorado, Oklahoma’s TABOR proposal also includes budget stabilization and emergency funds that will help close funding gaps that may arise after recessions. Also, Colorado’s budget has been squeezed by a competing Constitutional amendment that mandates large annual increases in K-12 education spending.

Osburn said more details about the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights in Colorado and Oklahoma is available online at www.americansforprosperity.org.

Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFPF believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFPF educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org
# # #