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Communications Division For Immediate
Release: December 8, 2004
 Sen. Brogdon talks to reporters about the "Taxpayer's Bill of Rights."  Sen. Clark Jolley, co-sponsor of TABOR, said the constitutional amendment will help reduce the burden our state passes on to future generations. Brogdon to Introduce ‘Taxpayer Bill of Rights’ Legislation State Senator Randy Brogdon announced Wednesday that he will introduce a constitutional amendment to limit the future growth of the state government’s budget, known as the “Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights” or TABOR. “Over the past ten years, state government has grown at an unsustainable rate of 89%, while the private sector has only grown 65%,” stated Brogdon, R-Owasso. “The TABOR amendment would limit the annual growth in the state budget to the level of inflation plus the state’s population growth, ensuring that the state’s budget does not grow faster than the family budget.” The Taxpayer Bill of Rights amendment is designed to constrain the growth of government in an economic boom and stabilize the budget cycle during a downturn in the economy. “The TABOR amendment will help control the growth of government by setting reasonable spending limits based on priorities and sound fiscal discipline. It will ensure that in an economic downturn there is a budget stabilization fund to help offset budget shortfalls. In surplus years TABOR will ensure that a portion of surplus revenues is rebated to taxpayers and used for income tax reform,” Brogdon said. The TABOR amendment would: • Limit the growth in spending to the combined total of inflation
and population growth. Brogdon said using surplus revenues for income tax reform is a key part of the TABOR amendment, considering that the highest income tax rate kicks in for Oklahomans earning just $10,000 a year. “By limiting the future growth of government and mandating
tax relief in surplus years, TABOR will help get Oklahoma’s
economic engine roaring again. It will be a boon for investment
and job growth in Oklahoma,” Brogdon stated.
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