Washington County use tax to stand

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (AP) _ Washington County Commissioners are standing by their decision to impose a half-cent use tax on merchandise purchased out of state. <br><br>The commissioners declined to rescind

Tuesday, July 1st 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (AP) _ Washington County Commissioners are standing by their decision to impose a half-cent use tax on merchandise purchased out of state.

The commissioners declined to rescind the tax Monday despite complaints from ConocoPhillips executive Paul Hadley that the tax unfairly targets big business.

``This is a common form of taxation that most government entities have in place. This is a revenue source that the county was entitled to,'' said Commissioner Jim Sheetz.

In addition to Washington County, Tulsa, Ponca City and Oklahoma City all have use taxes in place, as does Houston, the home of ConocoPhillips headquarters.