A small group of protesters visited the State Capitol on Monday challenging legislators to hike the gross production tax on oil and natural gas operations, according to a report by Aaron Brilbeck of News 9. The tax has become one of the most hotly contested items in this year’s budget negotiations, which are at a near impasse.
The Democrats, led by House Minority Leader Scott Inman, refuse to consider other tax measures to fund the $900 million hole in the budget unless the Republicans roll back the gross production tax credits supported by Governor Fallin. The Democrats know that some of their votes are required to pass any revenue-raising measure despite the majority held by Republicans in both the House and Senate.