JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Calling them “a fundamentally misguided approach to tax policy,” Nixon vetoed 10 bills today that provided special tax exemptions to a wide range of businesses and activities.
“These special carve outs and loopholes would undermine local public services and flout the will of voters by eroding revenues that support services like firefighters and cops, libraries and ambulance services, snow plows and health inspectors, public transit and road repair,” Gov. Nixon told reporters. “From storm water management in West Plains to fire protection in Webster Groves, voters in communities across Missouri have come together to pass local sales taxes to support local public services and capital improvements. These special breaks passed by the General Assembly would siphon these voter-approved resources away from their intended purpose, and into the pockets of the well-connected.”
Nixon told reporters that the Republican-controlled legislature passed a series of damaging tax break bills in the final hours of the legislative session. Nixon said the rush to pass the exemptions would “explode” the state budget.
Republicans were quick to counter. Sen. Will Kraus almost immediately issued a statement defending several of the bills.
“The core of SB 662 is the premise that Missouri should treat taxpayers fairly across the board,” Kraus said in a written statement. “By vetoing SB 662, the governor has made it clear that he prefers ‘notification by audit’ to any proper notification of tax changes.”
Kraus continued to hammer Nixon and the Department of Revenue for embracing failed policies.
“SB 829 and HB 1455 puts the burden of proof back on DOR for, not only individual taxpayers and small businesses – as it was previously, but also now for large corporations and for those who collect and pay sales taxes. SB 829 simply makes all taxpayers equal. There is no reason that tax law as important as this should favor one type of business over another. It is time Missouri treated all businesses equally when it comes to their ability to dispute their taxes.”
The vetoed bills are: SB 693, SB 584, SB 612, SB 860, SB, 727, SB 662, SB 829, HB 1865, HB 1296 and HB 1455.
Rachael Herndon contributed to this story.
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
