Americans for Tax Reform commends former Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall for signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in his campaign for governor.
By signing the pledge, McCall has made the strongest public commitment to Oklahoma voters that he will oppose any and all tax hikes as governor. Candidates often make campaign promises not to raise taxes, only to abandon taxpayers once elected. The Taxpayer Protection Pledge requires candidates to put their commitment in writing – making it harder to reverse course.
Oklahoma has made great strides to put taxpayers first, in particular by passing a path-to-zero income tax reform that has the state gradually reducing the income tax until it is eliminated.
As the longest-serving Oklahoma House Speaker, McCall led legislative efforts to pass multiple tax cuts.
In 2021, Oklahoma passed a permanent income tax cut, reducing rates for all brackets by .25%. As well as a significant corporate income tax reduction that cut the rate by 2%. This reform took Oklahoma from a ‘middle of the pack’ corporate rate to one of the most competitive rates in the nation.
From 2022 to 2024, despite Senate leadership failing to support income tax relief, Governor Stitt continued to champion tax cuts, and the House passed multiple income tax reforms – including permanent rate reductions and a path-to-zero.
These efforts not only directly led to savings for hardworking taxpayers, but set the table for income tax elimination, as House lawmakers developed legislation based on lessons from other states.
Under McCall, Oklahoma also eliminated the Franchise Tax. This tax is particularly damaging as it was not a tax on profits, but net worth, taxing businesses $1.25 for each $1,000 of investment. The state also ended the marriage penalty that sometimes meant couples filing taxes jointly paid more than if they filed separately.
So far, McCall is the only gubernatorial candidate in the primary field to sign the Pledge.
Americans for Tax Reform created the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in 1985 to solidify candidates’ commitments to taxpayers. President Reagan urged all candidates to sign the Pledge, campaigning for and praising candidates who did so. Today, over 1,400 elected officials and candidates on the federal and state levels are Taxpayer Protection Pledge signers.
New candidates sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge regularly. For the most up-to-date information on this race or any other, please visit the ATR Pledge Database.
