OKLAHOMA CITY – Local State Representative Jason Murphey successfully won approval of a key reform property tax reform proposal that was requested by Logan County Commissioner Mark Sharpton. Sharpton's plan would provide property tax relief across the board for all Oklahoma homeowners.

"The people are sick and tired of just seeing increases each and every year," Sharpton said. "This proposal would actually make it possible for people's property taxes to decline."

The proposal, approved by the House of Representatives as an amendment to SB 1956, would index each homeowner's homestead exemption to the rate of inflation.

"Inflation and the rate of property tax assessments have gone up for years, but the homestead exemption has stayed the same. This is just wrong," said Murphey.

Murphey said that the success of the reform proposal was greatly improved, thanks to the support of the Chairman of the House Revenue and Tax Committee, Randy Terrill. Terrill helped Murphey find a suitable place to attach the property tax relief amendment in one of Terrill's bills. "Rep. Terrill made this opportunity happen," Murphey said.

The proposal became the only across-the-board property tax relief proposal to remain alive this year after the House killed SJR 59, which would have lowered from 5% to 3% the ability of the County Assessor to increase property tax assessments.

Murphey said he knew property tax reform would be hard to pass. He avoided filing legislation and waited instead for an amendment opportunity. The effort paid off when opposition members of the House tried to kill the proposal on procedural grounds. The opposition was unable to use the rule that prevents already introduced legislation from being considered as an amendment.

Sharpton said the issue had added significance to him after a constituent and mother met him at the gate to the county barn. Sharpton said she was crying because she received her increased property tax bill and did not know how to pay it. "We have to do something," he explained. "The people cannot take much more of this."

Murphey said he gets many calls on the issue of property taxes; a recent survey of his constituents showed that 94 percent support property tax reform. "Just yesterday one of my constituents emailed me with a chart of how much his property taxes will be increasing over the next ten years. For a 1600 sq ft house he will be paying more than $2,000 per year. It is clear that the people really do care about these unfair increases and it will affect how much money they place into the economy," Murphey said.