2018 OK Governor's race: on Tax Reform

Kevin Stitt: Signed Oklahoma Taxpayer Platform

Kevin Stitt announced that he signed the "Oklahoma Taxpayer Platform" pledge, a 7-point platform announced by Senator Tom Coburn. "I appreciate Tom Coburn's leadership for putting this important platform together that holds candidates accountable to conservative principles," said Stitt. "The priorities listed by Sen. Coburn resonate with the concerns I have heard from Oklahomans across all 77 counties."

Fiscal Responsibility: State agencies must be subjected to regular audits.
Limited Government: Focus on public safety, infrastructure, education, and a safety net for the most vulnerable.
Structural Reform: eliminate governmental dysfunction, duplication and corruption.
Fair Taxation: Tax people in the least-burdensome way.
Free-Market Environment: Less picking of winners & losers by government.
Criminal Justice System Reform: Keep citizens safe but don't lock people up unnecessarily.
State Sovereignty: Provide a barrier between Oklahomans and Federal overreach.

Source: OKTaxpayersUnite press release: 2018 Oklahoma Governor race Jul 4, 2018

Kevin Stitt: Shift Oklahoma's tax structure to focus on consumption

Stitt signed the Oklahoma Taxpayer Platform which includes a plank on "Fair Taxation:" Tax people in the least-burdensome way. Income taxes impose a discouraging penalty on work, productivity, personal responsibility, savings, investment, capital formation and entrepreneurial risk-taking. No income taxes of any kind should be levied by Oklahoma's state and local government. Shift Oklahoma's tax structure to focus on consumption. This will help Oklahoma become a magnet for private-sector both large and small job creators and productive individuals of all incomes. The key is to attract more taxpayers, spreading the cost of state and local services among more people and allowing for a lower tax burden on everyone. Source: OKTaxpayersUnite press release: 2018 Oklahoma Governor race Jul 4, 2018

Tom Coburn: Shift Oklahoma's tax structure to focus on consumption

Coburn authored the Oklahoma Taxpayer Platform which includes a plank on "Fair Taxation:" Tax people in the least-burdensome way. Income taxes impose a discouraging penalty on work, productivity, personal responsibility, savings, investment, capital formation and entrepreneurial risk-taking. No income taxes of any kind should be levied by Oklahoma's state and local government. Shift Oklahoma's tax structure to focus on consumption. This will help Oklahoma become a magnet for private-sector both large and small job creators and productive individuals of all incomes. The key is to attract more taxpayers, spreading the cost of state and local services among more people and allowing for a lower tax burden on everyone. Source: OKTaxpayersUnite press release: 2018 Oklahoma Governor race Jul 4, 2018

Chris Powell: Oppose higher taxes on the wealthy

Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Higher taxes on the wealthy"?

A: Strongly oppose.

Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Oklahoma Governor candidate May 15, 2018

Joe Maldonado: Higher taxes on the wealthy

Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Higher taxes on the wealthy"?

A: Hell yes.

Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Oklahoma Governor candidate May 15, 2018

Scott Inman: Don't balance the budget on the backs of the middle class

The House minority leader from Del City significantly raised his profile in the past session as he led a standoff against the Republican majority over taxes, saying the controlling party was seeking to balance the budget on the backs of the middle class and working poor. He made it clear that Democrats would not be ignored and forced Republicans to invite them to the negotiating table. He is a passionate debater who has the fiery quality of a preacher.

He has been minority leader for seven years. He is the highest-ranking Democrat in the state but is term limited in 2018. This is his first attempt at statewide office.

Source: Tulsa World on 2018 Oklahoma governor race Jul 30, 2017

Gary Jones: Taxes must go up but with budget cuts

Jones is a conservative Republican, but he recently released a plan to raise oil and gas taxes to five percent, cap the income tax at five percent, and tax wind generation at five percent. His plan also includes cutting non-essential services, but Jones says there's really no way lawmakers can solve the state's budget problem without new revenue. "We've got to make some reasonable changes in order to fix what's going on," he said. Source: KOSU-FM. "School Funding" on 2018 Oklahoma Governor race May 8, 2017

Gary Richardson: Smaller government, less taxes, and eliminate waste

We find ourselves in an historic budget crisis where our Republican leaders are proposing close to $1 billion in new taxes, mostly on the backs of lower-income Oklahomans. When our Republican leaders fail to follow Republican principles, it's time to find new Republican leaders. I believe that our Republican values can lead Oklahoma into prosperity. That's why I am a Republican! As Governor, I will always stand for smaller government, less taxes, and the elimination of government waste! Source: 2018 Oklahoma governor campaign website GaryRichardson.org May 2, 2017

The above quotations are from 2018 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage. Click here for definitions & background information on Tax Reform. Click here for other issues (main summary page). Click here for more quotes by Mary Fallin on Tax Reform.
*Candidates and political leaders on Tax Reform:*
*Gubernatorial Debates 2020:* DE: vs.Carney(incumbent) vs.Williams(D) IN: vs.Holcomb(incumbent) vs.Melton(D) vs.Myers(D) MO: Parson(incumbent) vs.Galloway(D) vs.Neely(R) MT: Bullock(retiring) vs.Fox(R) vs.Perry(R) vs.Gianforte(R) vs.~~Stapleton~~(R) vs.Olszewski(R) vs.Neill(D) vs.Schreiner(D) vs.Cooney(D) vs.Williams(D) NC: Cooper(incumbent) vs.Forest(R) vs.Grange(R) ND: Burgum(incumbent) vs.Coachman(R) vs.Lenz(D) NH: Sununu(incumbent) vs.Volinsky(D) vs. fsFeltes(D) PR: Rossello(D) vs.Garced(D) vs.Pierluisi(D) UT: Herbert(retiring) vs.Huntsman(R) vs.Cox(R) vs.Burningham(R) vs.Newton(D) vs.Hughes(R) VT: Scott(incumbent) vs.Holcombe(D) vs.Zuckerman(D) WA: Inslee(incumbent) vs.Bryant(R) vs.Fortunato(R) WV: Justice(incumbent) vs.Folk(R) vs.Thrasher(R) vs.Vanover(D) vs.Smith(D) vs.Ron Stollings(D)	*Gubernatorial Debates 2021:* NJ: Murphy(D) vs.Ciattarelli(R) VA: Northam(D,term-limited) vs.Herring(D) vs.Chase(R) vs.Fairfax(D) *Gubernatorial Debates 2019:* KY: Bevin(R) vs.~~Goforth~~(R,lost primary) vs.~~Adkins~~(D,lost primary) vs.Beshear(D) vs.~~Edelen~~(D,lost primary) LA: Edwards(D) vs.Rispone(R) vs.Abraham(R) vs.~~Kennedy~~(R,declined) MS: ~~Bryant~~(R,retiring) vs.Foster(R) vs.Hood(D) vs.Reeves(R) vs.Waller(R)
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Page last updated: Dec 01, 2021