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Petition submitted to ban sales taxes on services

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missourians for Fair Taxation submitted signatures for an initiative petition to the Secretary of State Jason Kander’s office Sunday to create a constitutional amendment that would prohibit the state from putting new sales taxes on services.

“We believe voters will stop this cradle-to-grave tax, which would tax the services of the baby delivery doctor and the services of the grave digger and all sorts of services in between,” Scott Charton, a spokesman for Missourians for Fair Taxation, said.

Charton argues that taxes on services, which includes services ranging from barbers, tattoo artists and nail salons to doctors and from dance classes to plumbers puts Missouri at a competitive disadvantage against neighboring states. Oklahoma and Illinois are considering taxes on services to alleviate budget shortfalls, and Charton stresses that such taxes would hurt low and middle income consumers the most.

He believes this constitutional amendment is a “pre-emptive strike” to ensure that such discussion does not take place.

“Politicians and bureaucrats share bad ideas, and a sales tax on services is a bad idea for Missouri,” Charton said. “You don’t wait until your house is on fire to buy a fire extinguisher.”

The signatures will now have to be approved by local election boards throughout the state, a process that could take several months.

Missourians for Fair Taxation was created by the Missouri Association of Realtors.