House looks at making state agencies pay sales taxes, suspending back-to-school tax holiday

OKLAHOMA CITY — House budget-makers presented a hodge-podge of revenue bills Monday evening that seemed more to suggest the desperation of the moment than a coherent plan for making up a projected revenue shortfall of somewhere close to $1 billion.

The Legislature has until Friday to introduce the revenue bills to overcome the shortfall and balance the budget by the constitutionally mandated adjournment on May 26.

Failing earlier Monday to get the 76 votes needed to pass a $1.50 cigarette tax increase, House leadership brought out several measures later in the day needing, for the most part, only 51 votes.

These included a proposal for state agencies to begin paying state and local sales taxes; an excise tax on vehicle transfers within families, even when no money changes hands; a three-year suspension of the state’s sales tax holidays; a 62-cent per pack cigarette tax; and repeal of the manufacturing sales tax exemption for wind turbine construction.

Read more: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/capitol_report/house-looks-at-making-state-agencies-pay-sales-taxes-suspending/article_a29a9d1b-ce07-5dc7-9809-53a8c41e7cd6.html