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Oklahoma Senate
Senate GOP Leader Coffee Comments on Gas Tax Proposal, Centennial Commission Funding
Senator Glenn Coffee
Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee said Tuesday his caucus members might support a proposal to temporarily eliminate the tax on gasoline – but said they have concerns about tapping the Rainy Day Fund to do it. Coffee also said Senate Republicans are ready to support a supplemental funding bill for the Centennial Commission if some specifics are included.
GASOLINE TAX
“Senate Republicans are supportive of finding ways to help reduce the burden caused by rising gasoline prices – and temporarily eliminating the state gasoline tax sounds like a good idea,” stated Coffee, R-Oklahoma City. “But we are concerned that the Senate Democrats’ proposal to tap the Rainy Day fund is just a ruse to spend more money. Perhaps a better idea would be to use booming gross production tax revenues from Oklahoma’s energy industry to help make-up for any lost revenues if the gasoline tax is repealed.
“It is nice to finally see Senate Democrats realizing that the way to help people is to put more money in their pockets by reducing taxes instead of raising taxes as they have for years to create more social programs,” he said.
CENTENNIAL FUNDING
“I have let Centennial Commission know that there is a willingness among Senate Republicans to support the $10 million in supplemental Centennial funding bill if some specifics are included in the bill, and the Centennial Commission seems supportive of the these changes,” Coffee said. “It is important to Senate Republicans that specifics are included in the legislation to ensure that funding will go to designated areas of the state, as promised.”
Coffee said most of the 22 Senate Republicans would support the funding bill if it is changed to specifically designate $2 million for statewide projects, $2 million each for projects in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, and $1 million each for the state’s four quadrants for rural projects, for a total of $10 million.
The legislation defeated by the Senate yesterday did not include the regional designations. It was simply a straight appropriation of $10 million.
