For immediate release: September 17, 2014
Contact: Stephanie Fleming, (573) 526-0949
Kander Announces Plan to Cut Business Fees to Lowest in Nation
Will Push for Legislation to Help Make Missouri Best State in the U.S. to Start a Business
Jefferson City, Mo. — Secretary of State Jason Kander today announced plans for legislation to cut fees paid by Missouri businesses to the overall lowest in the country. The proposal will be pre-filed by Sen. Wayne Wallingford (R-Cape Girardeau) and will seek to reduce or eliminate numerous fees for new and existing businesses that must file paperwork with the secretary of state.
“Helping business owners and entrepreneurs succeed has been a goal of mine since my first day in office,” Kander said. “Cutting business fees to the overall lowest in the country is another significant step we can take to simplify business creation and show the nation that Missouri is the best state in the U.S. to start a business. I will continue to work to help small businesses grow and thrive in Missouri.”
“Small businesses want to spend their time and resources creating jobs, not paying fees,” Wallingford said. “I’m proud to partner with Secretary Kander in this effort, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to cut business fees in the upcoming legislative session.”
The goal of the legislation will be to only charge a processing fee for the majority of filings in the secretary of state’s office. The Business Services Division of the secretary of state’s office handles the creation and maintenance of the over 500,000 business entities doing business in Missouri. Kander’s proposal will apply to several types of business entities, including corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies (LLCs) and nonprofits.
The announcement coincides with the new online business filing system Kander launched in July to streamline business creation in Missouri. Previously, Missourians could file only five business registration forms online; now nearly every form that must be filed with the secretary of state’s office can be filed through an easy-to-use website: www.sos.mo.gov/fileonline.
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Visit www.sos.mo.gov to learn more about the Office of the Missouri Secretary of State.
