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Stitt targets tribes, pushes tax cuts in State of the State

August 25, 2023 by

The Tulsa Regional Chamber hosts Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt for a State of the State luncheon on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023.

Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday renewed his call for tax cuts — including eliminating the state income tax — and railed on those who want to “turn Tulsa and eastern Oklahoma into a reservation.”

“There is a storm of injustice that needs to be faced head on,” he said during the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s State of the State address.

“We are now in a jurisdictional and geographical fight for who has authority over our state,” he said. “There are tribal government leaders that say the state of Oklahoma doesn’t have authority over Indians in Tulsa.”

Stitt was alluding to the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court’s McGirt ruling that a large chunk of eastern Oklahoma remains an American Indian reservation. The reach of the McGirt ruling, which applied to the Muscogee Nation’s reservation, has been expanded by lower courts to include several more eastern Oklahoma tribes’ reservations.

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The McGirt decision means state prosecutors lack the authority to pursue criminal cases against American Indian defendants in parts of Oklahoma, including most of Tulsa. It also has created many jurisdictional questions beyond criminal jurisdiction, including regarding taxes and speeding tickets.

“Let me be clear: Tribal governments disbanded and allotted out all the land in 1907 at statehood. Other states didn’t do that,” Stitt said.

Guests at the Osage Casino & Hotel table walked out of the chamber event when the governor began his comments on tribes and jurisdiction, Osage Nation Communications Director Abby Mashunkashey confirmed afterward.

“Their actions speak for themselves, and we support their decision to not engage in false and divisive rhetoric,” Mashunkashey said.

“The Governor’s statements were slanted, disrespectful and minimize the massive contributions Tribal Nations make to Oklahoma, of which we are also citizens,” Osage Casino General Manager Edward Gray said.

Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear was not at the event, Mashunkashey said.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. sent out a rebuke to the governor’s speech Thursday, noting Stitt’s “blatant hostility toward tribal sovereignty.”

“Gov. Stitt’s shameful description of tribes simply exercising rights as sovereign nations dating back to before the founding of the United States as a ‘storm of injustice’ is breathtaking, even coming from him,” Hoskin said in a statement.

“His attack on tribes included many falsehoods and inaccuracies regarding tribal reservations in eastern Oklahoma. Contrary to his claims, tribes were not disbanded in 1907 and did not volunteer to give away our reservations at statehood.

“Cherokee Nation, along with other tribal nations, have persisted, and today, we contribute mightily to the state’s cultural and economic fabric. The governor continues to be isolated in his ‘geographic fight’ for Oklahoma as the rest of Oklahoma’s elected leaders and state embraces tribes and the U.S. Supreme Court’s McGirt decision,” the chief said.

“This isn’t fair,” said Stitt, who is a Cherokee nation citizen. “We cannot have a state where a doctor who is part Indian doesn’t pay taxes or gets speeding tickets from Tulsa PD, but a single mom of another race does. We all have to live under the same set of rules, regardless of race or heritage.”

“This is not political,” Stitt said. “This is about one set of rules for all Oklahomans, and I will always be bold and tell you the truth. I will not go down in history as the governor that didn’t fight for one Oklahoma.

“Listen — if some people don’t have to pay taxes, then no one in Oklahoma should. Every time you see a tribal (vehicle) tag, just realize the state is losing about $200 million in revenue annually. That should be going to roads that those cars are driving on, as well.”

Alluding to one of Stitt’s talking points since he first ran for governor, Hoskin said: “Cherokee Nation will continue being a good partner protecting public safety, prosecuting those who commit crimes and helping our neighbors through contributions to schools, law enforcement and road improvements, which are areas that contribute to Oklahoma being a ‘top 10 state.’

“The governor should set aside fabrications and strive to better and more accurately understand tribal history, Oklahoma history, sovereignty and the contributions of our state’s tribal nations,” Hoskin said.

Stitt, during a question-and-answer session following his speech, also said of income taxes, “I want to put us on a trajectory to zero.”

He said the state is in a position to both lower income taxes and eliminate the grocery sales tax, an issue he has been pushing for years.

“If not now, then when?” he asked, citing the state’s $5 billion savings account.

In his February 2022 State of the State address in Oklahoma City, Stitt also called for an eventual reduction of the state income tax. He proposed creating “a taxpayer protection plan that responsibly lowers income taxes according to our state revenue.”

“Nine states (including Texas) don’t charge a personal income tax. Many others are racing to join them, and we can’t be left behind,” he said at the time.

Stitt was also asked about the recent situation involving Tulsa Public Schools’ accreditation renewal and change in leadership.

“When we put our kids in school, that’s the most important thing to us — is to make sure our local school is good. But you have to put some pressure sometimes on the local school district if they’re not performing.

“We love the local control. That’s up to the citizens … getting engaged, making sure that you talk to the people on your school board and you hold them accountable, and you make sure that they are thinking about the kids and what’s best for the next generation.”

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Filed Under: Income Tax News

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