Journalist: Destiny Lugo (OSU)
This morning, Gabriel Ivey (TU) had victory in both the House and Senate with his bill, “Price & Transparency” which will work to address combining the original cost of an item at a store with the additional tax of that product so that when people shop, they know the real total cost of what they are buying.
The author had this to say about his bill, “I feel like whenever you’re at the grocery store, you should be able to see how much an item is going to cost including tax. Oklahoma families should be empowered to make educated financial decisions. The bill does include mandatory fees and sales tax. For pretty much anybody, it’s inconvenient to not know the real total of your costs.”
While the proposition of this bill may seem rather simple and straightforward, this bill would actually transform shopping experiences not only helping lower class families in Oklahoma, but people of all financial backgrounds and capacity. It’s a horrible feeling to make it to the cashier believing you’re within your budget, just to find that the addition of tax to everything you are buying, adds another expense that sometimes leaves you feeling unprepared. In the twenty-first century, this bill helps shoppers buy what they need and want with greater ease, helping them to enjoy the experience more.
I could never forget an experience I had in a Walmart in Tulsa Oklahoma, where a man and his friend were at the cashier checking their stuff out, and they had several cans with them along with some dry foods, and as they realized they didn’t have enough food stamps to cover the total cost of all they wanted to check out, they were soon in the awkward and humiliating experience of choosing which items to let go of. There is a possibility that if they would have known what their total plus tax would have been, they might not have ended up in that situation.
Members of the Senate, caucused for quite a while in deliberation of the bill, however, there was still substantial support for the bill; Gabriel Ivey said, “When it came to passing the bill, I probably had more resistance in the Senate- there was some push back there, but not like any in the House. It passed in the Senate though- with seventeen in the affirmative, and five in the negative.”
Noelle Brezillac (SNU) commented, “For low income families, this makes things easier for them. It prevents prices from fluctuating often.” and Gracie Gifford (TU) added, “It’s transparent with customers and a lot of people struggle to do basic math so this simplifies things”.
Although there was some push back in the Senate, the grand majority agreed that for those who find themselves in rough patches having only a specific amount of money they can spend, seeing an item without tax counted in the cost, may trick a few people into thinking they can buy the item, but if the original cost is counted with the tax then they will see the true amount of money they have to part with, which may spare them of some disappointment and embarrassment at the cashier.