Lawsuit Challenges License Fee Transfers

Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A lawsuit against 18 state boards challenges laws requiring them to transfer a portion of the fees they collect to the state's general fund.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in the Oklahoma Supreme Court by attorney Jerry Fent. It names the Oklahoma Accountancy Board, the Board of Dentistry, the Board of Pharmacy and other boards that oversee various professions.

The lawsuit challenges statutes adopted by the Legislature that authorize the transfer of 10 percent of fee revenue collected by the boards to the general fund. The lawsuit says the practice is an unconstitutional tax on the people's license to work in the state.

Fent says the original transfer statute was passed in 1933. Since then, over $50 million has been transferred to the general fund.