OTC turns over names of Oklahomans suspected of buying car tags in Oregon

Friday, January 21st 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- The Oklahoma Tax Commission turned over the names of 1,307 Oklahomans believed to have registered their cars illegally in Oregon, an official said Thursday. Most of the car owners allegedly obtained $30 Oregon tags by falsifying information about their state of residence, said Kathy Morse, a spokeswoman for the Oregon motor vehicle agency in Salem.

Several of the registrants own recreational vehicles and bought $209 Oregon tags that could have cost thousands of dollars in Oklahoma. "Oklahoma has investigated these registrations and has asked for their termination," Ms. Morse said. "We will cancel (the ags) immediately."

Presenting false information while registering a vehicle in Oregon can mean a 12-month jail sentence and $5,000 fine for the offender, she said. In Oklahoma, those with out-of-state tags can be forced to forfeit their driver's licenses for six months. Military personnel and out-of-state students are exempt from the law, providing they can prove residency in their home states.

Oregon has determined that more than 6,000 Oklahomans could be registering their vehicles in Salem in violation of Oklahoma and Oregon state law. Ms. Morse said Oregon officials reviewed car registrations at Tinker Air Force Base in 1997 and terminated 500 Oregon tags owned by military personnel and Tinker workers believed to be abusing the system. Oklahoma continues to investigate and detect illegal Oregon tags based on tips from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the general citizenry, tax commission spokeswoman Paula Ross said.

In Oregon, motor vehicle officials have been given permission to question car registrants they believe are lying about their Oregon residency, Ms. Morse said. Last year, Gov. Frank Keating vetoed a car-tag reform bill that would have lowered tag renewals for newer cars to about $85. State lawmakers and Keating are now debating a car-tag bill that would lower tags for new cars to about $80 and tags on older cars to about $40. The measure is expected to cost the state about $70 million in lost revenues