This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, March 11, 2013 - Before leaving town for a trade trip to Asia, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon made clear to the state Senate that he dislikesthe business tax-cut packagethat the chamber has approved.
In particular, Nixon said in a statement that he “strongly opposes the large sales tax increase contained in” the bill, SB26.
(Update) The Senate gave final approval to the measure on Tuesday, by a vote of 23-11. The supportive votes were exactly enough to override a possible Nixcon veto. All 10 Democrats opposed the bill, along with one Republican.
The bill now goes to the House, where Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, registered his support on Twitter late Tuesday. (End update).
In a letter to the Senate dated Monday, the governor detailed his objections to the proposed half-cent sales tax, saying it “would raise taxes on all Missourians and increase the cost of almost everything they buy.”
“Everyday necessities, from clothing to Kleenex, would become more expensive,” Nixon wrote. “Families would have to pay more for the same products, putting an additional strain on household budgets.”
Nixon said the bill overall shifts “taxes away from corporations and the affluent onto those who can least afford the added costs.”
“Under Senate bill No. 26, a single mother’s school supplies would cost more, while a corporate executive’s country club membership would cost less,” his letter stated. “This shift would hit seniors and veterans living on fixed incomes especially hard. Making a veteran with aches and pains pay more for an aspirin so that an S-corporation can get a tax cut does not reflect our values or our priorities. Giving special breaks at the expense of seniors, veterans and families is the wrong approach to growing our economy.”
Nixon also noted, as he has in the past, that Missouri’s tax burden already is among the lowest in the nation and that “Missouri now consistently ranks near the top in economic competitiveness.”
The state’s tax burden ranks 44th in the nation as a percentage of personal income, the governor pointed out. He urged senators to oppose Senate bill No. 26 when it comes to a vote.
“I have long opposed schemes like this one that would shift costs onto families because they reflect the wrong priorities and do not work. Putting an additional financial burden on each and every Missourian would threaten the progress we have made and hamper our economic recovery.”
