Read Rep. Joe Dorman's opinion on HB 1485, which would allow for much of the property maintained by oil and gas companies to be free from taxation because they feel they are unfairly taxed on specific equipment on the Comanche County Democratic Party site.


OPEN DOOR POLICY by Rep. Joe Dorman



There have been several high profile issues come up at the Capitol this past week. One in particular that has arisen is House Bill 1485, which would allow for much of the property maintained by oil and gas companies to be free from taxation because they feel they are unfairly taxed on specific equipment. Several of the oil and gas companies have proposed in debate that they contribute over one billion dollars to the state's economy each year and that this exemption on property will be slight and would help keep business thriving in Oklahoma. Opponents state that this exemption is on property that is currently not being taxed due to the energy companies not claiming the equipment when they turn in the tax information.

I'm currently working on rewriting this bill to give authority to the Oklahoma Tax Commission to do a statewide assessment on all property maintained by these companies, verify the accuracy of the tax and for that information to be distributed to the local assessors. Often times, the assessors do not travel on to private property if the gates are locked and this prevents an accurate read on what should be taxed. There is also the problem with assessments falling behind and many times these energy companies are allowed to turn in their own information regarding what should be on the tax forms.

By giving this authority and the funding to the Tax Commission, this will do a one-time, three-year scan of the state and provide the information to the assessors on what should be included for the taxation. There will also be a provision for appeal on whether some property should be included in the taxation. This will be given to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission through their judicial review system to help cut down on costly court fees. This compromise will provide the fair assessment that the oil and gas companies claim they are not receiving by private-contract companies that work on a percentage basis who are hired by local assessors. This new version of the bill also provides the schools and counties with the resources to receive the accurate assessments and in turn the appropriate tax dollars.

It is an honor to represent your views at the State Capitol. If you wish to contact me and discuss one of these or another issue, I can be reached at my office in Oklahoma City toll-free at 1-800-522-8502, or directly at 1-405-557-7305. I can be reached locally at (580) 476-2626, my e-mail address is joedorman@okhouse.gov at work. My mailing address is PO Box 559, Rush Springs, OK 73082 and my website is www.joedorman.com on the Internet. Thank you for taking time to read this column and I look forward to seeing you soon.