Jessica Zimmerman (OU), November 11, 2021
House Bill Number OBU-501 made it onto the Orders of the Day for Thursday, the first full day of Session. The bill was co-authored by Rep. Adam Clifton (OBU) and Senator Mitch Sadler (OBU). They explained the intentions of the bill.
“So basically, obviously Oklahoma is a little short on money,” Clifton said.
“Chewing tobacco is gross; two birds with one stone,” Sadler said.
In practice, the bill would increase the state sales tax on chewing tobacco from 30% to 50%. The authors recognize that Oklahoma’s sales tax on tobacco products is relatively low compared to other states. They also recognize that state funding needs additional sources that will not add financial burden to Oklahomans.
“We should discourage [chewing tobacco]. We shouldn’t outlaw it altogether. We need money and I don’t want to get money from something we consider good,” Clifton said.
Clifton, a zero star, came to his fellow OBU delegate, Sadler, to write the bill. Sadler helped him straighten out the ideas and format the bill. As a tax bill, it must begin in the house, where Clifton will present it. If it passes, Sadler will carry it on to the senate.
“Tax bills are usually controversial,” Clifton said. “I think the main thing people might say against it is ‘why 50%?’ I think it’s a good medium number…[this] gives us more disposable income as a state. I think that’s a good way to raise taxes just a little bit, [but] I’m trying to not make it too controversial.”
By keeping the bill simple, Clifton and Sadler hope it will pass easily. Clifton expressed his intention to write a follow-up bill in the future that would further specify what the money collected by this tax increase would go toward.
“I think me and the co-author would like to see it go towards more cancer research…so we can attempt to try to prevent that,” Clifton said. He sees this as “a way to try to balance it out.”