Who Caused This Mess? or The Truth Does Hurt
The Tulsa World recently carried a front page article entitled, Tobacco Pacts a Taxing Topic.
The column concerned State Treasurer Scott Meacham’s address to the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma and their hostility to the Henry Administration’s tobacco compact process. Many attendees think the administration is down right anti-Indian.
In his remarks the Treasurer whined, “I’m surprised at the level of personal attacks I’ve taken over this.
“I never had such a malicious, hateful, untruthful attack launched against me. Nobody wants a resolution to this (tobacco compact) issue more than me.”
He also agreed the current state of tobacco compacts between the tribes and state is a mess. He added, “The state is hoping to work toward a single tax rate for all areas similar to the way compacts were before state voters passed a tax increase on tobacco. Those old compacts worked really well because we didn’t have any problems,” Meacham said.
Well, to the average citizen and according to the article’s author, you might conclude that tribal members were unfairly criticizing this noble state employee. Far from it. Meacham, who plans to run for governor, is trying to tone down his reputation as Governor Brad Henry’s hatchet man. He needs the Indian vote and especially wants their money.
As a member of the Cigarette and Tobacco Tax Advisory Committee and its first chairman, I know what Mr. Meacham said is a total falsehood. The current tobacco problems are a direct and continuing result of the actions of the governor and treasurer.
It was Brad Henry and Scott Meacham who changed the way tobacco is taxed. They invented six new tobacco stamp rates, ranging from 6 cents to $1.03.
During the Walters Administration through the Keating Administration, there were only two tax stamps. The tribes paid 25 percent of what non-tribal retailers paid. Non-tribal retailers paid 23 cents and tribes 6 cents. There were no legal, enforcement or collection problems.
Then came the Henry Administration. Henry and Meacham changed the game before the state voted to increase taxes on tobacco. I know this because as the committee chairman, the Tax Commission provided me with all the tribal tobacco compacts. Brad Henry and Scott Meacham changed the compacts a full year before the state vote.
Today the man who would be governor wants you to believe they only changed the compacts to match the new law. They changed the compacts to reward tribes that were friendly to them and to penalize others.
As for seeking pity for the remarks against Meacham, it was he who called the Creek Nation Chief A.D. Ellis “a liar” and threw the Creek Speaker George Tiger out of his office. Both tribal officials were only seeking a new tobacco compact similar to what was given the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations. Such behavior might have impressed our weak governor, but it has not the tribes and the officials Meacham maligned.
The allegations, that Scott Meacham is anti-Indian and wanted to put tribal retailers out of business is true. His tobacco policy has also hurt small non-tribal retailers who couldn’t compete against a 6-cent tax when they paid $1.03 a pack.
The truth needs to finally get out even if it hurts.