St. Louis Board of Aldermen approved a bill on Friday that seeks to once again ask voters to renew the city’s earnings tax.
If approved, the city will put the question on the April 7, 2026, ballot.
St. Louis imposes a 1% tax on the earned income of people who live or work in the city.
According to the city’s most recent fiscal year-end report, it collected roughly $219 million from the earnings tax in 2024 and around $209 million in fiscal 2025. That’s a roughly 4.8% drop.
Those losses were offset by one-time revenues deferred from prior years and an increase in interest earnings.
The city’s earnings tax amounts to around 36% of its total budget and pays for services including the police and fire departments, garbage collection and street maintenance.
