Step Up Oklahoma or Bend Over Oklahoma?
Yeshh.... we have the Oklahoman crowing about a "new" non partisan group of businessmen and politicians that want to raise taxes on everyone other to fund the budget hole and teacher pay. The so called "Step up Oklahoman" story was pure propaganda as usual from the Oklahoman and the comments at the bottom of the story were scathing toward the whole idea.
One in particular was no doubt a wind energy guy most likely posting an official response from his industry but that doesn't mean he didn't have some excellent points. We lifted the entire comment below and encourage people to visit the story and add their comments exposing the chicanery of this "new" group that is just the same old special interests trying to protect their tax credits and raise the lower and middle income taxpayer's rates or slash the deductions allowed to avoid the required 75% super majority that they are chaffing under.
"Jeffrey Clark It is insane that this group wants to tax an industry they deliberately excluded from their meetings, and further irresponsible to tax wind energy more when wind power already pays the same taxes as coal power plants, natural gas plants, and others - all of which pay a heavier tax burden than the oil producers who insisted behind closed doors (with Pierson chiming in) that wind be attacked.
Under this #HammScam of a plan, Pierson's buddy Harold Hamm will keep his taxes lower while making wind energy pay more. What happened to being fair? If we want to be fair, Hamm's ask to put a gross production tax on wind energy should be accompanied by asking him to start paying ad valorem taxes on production like other energy producers are expected to.
The wind energy industry was not invited to this group and, even in their press conference, the group's spokespeople acknowledged this in a way not consistent with the story Mr. Pierson is telling now. I think readers want to know who Mr. Pierson invited. Will you please share the names? Also, while we're talking tax breaks, would you entertain ending tax breaks for newspapers and newspaper advertising?
By many accounts from inside the group, they were not told the truth about wind. They were told that wind provides no jobs in the state, when there are 7,000 people working in wind. They were told that wind pays no taxes, when wind pays taxes identical to all other power generators. They were not told that all tax incentives for wind energy have now ended and that wind energy now pays a tax burden that is several times larger than that paid by oil producers. Pierson is credited with pushing these anti-wind proposals along with Harold Hamm. Because I believe Mr. Pierson knows the facts (as presented in The Oklahoman's reporting), I hope these accounts are untrue, but we'll never know since the group met secretly and has produced no notes, papers, or recordings from their "deliberations."
Members of his group seem to suggest that the voices of companies not based in Oklahoma should be ignored and taxed. (See the press conference of this group at minute 26.) They may want to look at who the largest energy investors in Oklahoma are, or even look at the list of the largest oil and gas producers. If the goal is to grow the economy and fund schools, efforts should be made to recruit investment to the state, not drive it away with the anti-outsider rhetoric this group of wealthy insiders is using.
Here are the facts: Wind was not invited to participate in these meetings. The industry sent a very public letter to the Governor, published in the media, asking for the opportunity to have a voice. No reply was received by any signatory. At the press conference unveiling the plan, members of the group extended the first invitation, and the wind industry accepted. But, the dye is cast, the plan is set, and the group let two rich oilmen dictate the dollar amount they wanted extracted from the hide of another industry. Including wind now (with a gun to their forehead) will add credibility to the group that it does not deserve.
Here are some further facts. ALL wind energy incentives in Oklahoma have ended. Wind pays ad valorem taxes to local schools/oil producers are exempted from the same. The tax burden on wind energy producers (and other electricity generators) is already several times larger than oil producers. If Hamm wants to raise taxes on someone, he'd be in a much more credible place to speak if his industry would pay the same tax burden that wind and solar companies pay today. Remember that oil and gas asked for a gross production tax in lieu of ad valorem taxes, and then negotiated to reduce that rate. Wind energy doesn't get tax reductions anymore because the legislature ended all wind incentives (at Hamm's request). My invitation to the anti-wind voices in this group, come pay the ad valorem burden we pay, and then we'll talk.
A group of wealthy businessmen met in private and concocted a plan to raise taxes, most of which will be paid by people not in their room. No one did any real analysis of the policy or economic development implications. No one did any real study to determine if the level of taxes being imposed is fair. This is not how good tax policy is made."
