The Joint Committee on Tax Policy reconvened for the first time since 2010 and began with a review of the 2015 Department of Revenue (DOR) Sales and Use Tax audit.
Sen. Will Kraus (R-Lee’s Summit), who was elected chairman at an organizational meeting on Tuesday, said reorganizing the committee is the next step in the legislature’s ongoing analysis and reform of Missouri’s tax policy.
“Fairness to taxpayers is a top priority,” Kraus, who also chairs the standing Senate Ways and Means Committee, said. “We’re aiming to ensure the DOR is not overreaching and is being responsive to taxpayers’ needs.”
The joint committee is authorized by statute to review most aspects of the state tax code, as well as the practices of the DOR and the State Commission on Tax Policy. The committee plans to review Missouri’s current tax policy for fairness and equity for taxpayers, as well as eliminating inefficiencies.
After electing a chairman, the committee began business by questioning a DOR representative about progress made in correcting problems within the department found in the DOR audit.
“Ensuring that identified problems in DOR’s tax administration practices are fixed is one of the important oversight functions that this committee is designed to perform,” Kraus said. “Taxpayers deserve to be treated fairly by DOR, and we are making sure that is happening.”
The committee will also be working with the Study Commission on State Tax Policy to collect public testimony on the strengths and weaknesses of Missouri’s tax code. The commission’s recommendation will file a report by the end of 2017.
