Advancing legislation that would forward Gov. Mike Kehoe's key priority this lawmaking session, House Speaker Jon Patterson (R-Lee's Summit) introduced a bill Wednesday that would eliminate Missouri's individual income tax.
The proposal comes after Kehoe's state of the state address, where he insisted the state reform its tax policy by eliminating wage taxes.
Patterson's bill starts these processes by giving voters a chance to get rid of the tax and then giving legislators three years to implement a new finance structure.
According to Patterson, getting rid of the individual income tax would give Missourians more control over their money.
But several opponents of the bill were concerned with the lack of clarity on exemptions, and how the state would collect the approximately $9 billion income taxes currently generate annually for the state.
Rep. Pattie Mansur (D-Kansas City) noted that if the amendment were approved, sales taxes would increase. She also pointed out most senior citizens pay little in income tax, and wouldn't benefit much from the bill.
"You're going to pay taxes on all kinds of services," Mansur said. "And because that's not delineated here, we're asking seniors to trust us."
If the bill is approved, the measure could appear on November's ballot.
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