Fees and taxes. They are everywhere. Seems nothing is free or without a catch anymore.

The state of Oklahoma has found a number of ways to get a few dollars from its citizens.

Yvonne Alex

This year, taxpayers who opt to receive a refund from the state of Oklahoma, via the mail, will receive that refund on a debit card.

This may not seem like a big deal except that our hard-earned money is being returned to us with conditions.

Taxpayers will be charged $1.50 per month if the card isn’t used at all within the first 60 days, a $2 fee if more than one withdrawal is made on that card at a bank and 75 cents if a taxpayer personally transfers the balance to their account online as reported on KFOR, news broadcast Jan. 23.

This made me ponder — what other fees are Oklahoma citizens being charged?

Did you forget to renew an auto tag? There is a one-month grace period following the expiration date but then, the fees start adding up — $1 per day penalty with a maximum charge of $100.

That’s big bucks for a college student who may be barely eking out a living.

Maybe a garage sale could help pay those fees. Oh wait. There are fees there as well. There’s a form to fill out and taxes to pay on the total amount of revenue you collect. Revenue is a bold word for the small amount most people bring in from a garage sale but you get the point.

And those goodies you buy online? The state will ask you to pay a sales tax on those items.

You can’t even walk down the aisle with the one you love without having to open your wallet for blood tests, a marriage license and the optional marriage counseling.

Oh, and if you want extra copies of those documents, there’s another fee.

Tax season is upon us and it comes with a stiff penalty to married couples in Oklahoma.

I’ve always had the mindset that it pays to be single when it comes to personal taxes as the average married couple pays an exorbitant amount of taxes each year. It’s almost as if the state is penalizing the decision of holy matrimony.

If the state of Oklahoma has an issue with collecting taxes from businesses, then they should take it up with their corporate attorneys and leave the working class alone.

Over the years I have heard one state official after another acknowledge that the state’s tax system is outdated and needs to be revised.

Perhaps the state officials can go back to the drawing board with the leeway to create a more functional tax system. We can collectively move forward to being a state of no state taxes or simply lower state taxes.

Now I’m not trying to pick on the pioneers of the system.

I’m just asking if we can get it reviewed and moving in the right direction.

Who knows, with those improvements, we may entice vacationers to pay us a permanent visit.

—Yvonne Alex

Staff Writer

To contact Yvonne Alex, email staffwriter3@occc.edu.