Court Tosses Tax Cuts
Oklahoma Supreme Court tosses income tax cut
By Randy Ellis
The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously tossed out a new state law that established incremental state income tax cuts tied to economic growth.
The legislation, which included provisions creating a fund for Capitol repairs, violates a constitutional prohibition against including more than one subject in a single bill, the court said.
“The bill concerns income tax rate reduction as well as the creation of a fund for repairs to the state Capitol building,” Justice James Winchester wrote. “We … hold the statute unconstitutional as it violates the single subject rule mandated by … the Oklahoma Constitution.”
The bill had been one of the top priority pieces of legislation for Gov. Mary Fallin and Republican legislative leaders. Tuesday, they expressed disappointment at its rejection.