State representative asks governor to declare moratorium on car tag fees

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A state representative asked Gov. Frank Keating on Thursday to declare a moratorium on enforcing car tag fees until after the Aug. 22 primary election. <br><br>In a hand-delivered

Thursday, July 13th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A state representative asked Gov. Frank Keating on Thursday to declare a moratorium on enforcing car tag fees until after the Aug. 22 primary election.

In a hand-delivered letter, Rep. Mike Mass, D-Hartshorne, asked Keating to give Oklahomans "an opportunity to go to the polls and vote for car tag relief without the undue burden of having to register their vehicles prior to the election."

Mass said the governor could initiate the moratorium through an executive order directing the Oklahoma Tax Commission and the Department of Public Safety to suspend enforcement of the current car tag system.

"A moratorium on enforcing the old system would give taxpayers some breathing room," Mass said. "It's not fair to ask them to vote and then find out if they had waited to register their vehicles they could have had cheaper car tags."

A spokesman for Keating said the governor won't tinker with the public's right to vote on the issue.

"The governor supports every citizen's right to do what best benefits their financial situation when voting next month," said Dan Mahoney, Keating's communications director.

Mahoney said the Democrats ignored the opportunity to provide genuine tax relief for all Oklahomans during the special session and that they now want to cover their political mistakes.