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Parson’s special session fixing vehicle sales issue is one we can all be thankful for this holiday season

This Black Friday and Cyber Monday Missourians have much to be grateful for — including extra money in their pockets over the holidays thanks to Gov. Parson’s decision to call lawmakers back to Jefferson City two months ago for a special session

The issue, the driving decision behind a September special session, wasn’t just about a vehicle sales tax issue. It was about the Governor and legislative leaders recognizing the state needed to fix an arbitrary taxation policy. While many urban media outlets scoffed at the thought of a fair system that left Missourians a little more of their own money in their pockets, it was the right decision and could be the difference in some families having presents under the tree or not. 

And time was of the essence. 

The credit is available for only 180 days surrounding the purchase of a new vehicle. With the Missouri Supreme Court handing down its restrictive decision on June 25, Missourians who were attempting to take advantage of the credit — dependent on that extra cash for the holiday season — would have been out of luck by the end of this year. 

According to the Department of Revenue, about 140,000 trade-in transactions occur across the state per year with up to 10 percent of those involving multiple trade-ins. That’s thousands of Missourians who have, with this long-held practice, been able to budget new trucks for a farm by trading in older vehicles. 

The Governor made the right call in bringing legislators back. Missourians shouldn’t have to wait for lawmakers to reconvene in Jefferson City in January, likely to engage in political gridlock for weeks or months.

During the 2019 regular session, the first bill signed by the Governor was at the beginning of March. If history had repeated itself, and we would have waited just as long, that six-month delay in providing relief to folks could have cost Missourians thousands of dollars — dollars that could be going elsewhere to stimulate Missouri’s economy during this holiday season. 

If we truly want to make Missouri a livable state for all, calling lawmakers back to the Capitol to address this issue was a true gift to move us forward.