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RELEASE: House committee approves special taxing district transparency bill

Christofanelli bill to require digital mapping of all TIFs CIDs and TDDs

 JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – State Rep. Phil Christofanelli and the members of the House Ways and Means unanimously approved legislation Monday afternoon that would require the Department of Revenue to establish and maintain an online, interactive map which will show Missouri taxpayers the boundaries of Special Taxing Districts across the state. The bill seeks to make taxing information available in an accessible way.
In testimony, Christofanelli said that because of Special Taxing Districts, sales tax rates are spiraling out of control, with parts of Saint Louis reaching over ten percent. In fact, the state now has over 2200 Special Taxing Districts, most of which have been instituted in the last 10 years.
“Missouri taxpayers have a right to know about the many special taxes that have been layered over where they work, live and shop.” said Christofanelli, R-St. Peters. “To date, there has been no comprehensive effort to track the growth of these districts.  This bill is an important step towards reform.”
HB 1858 will allow Missourians to be able to see the effect that layered Special Taxing Districts have on local tax rates.  The bill now heads to the House Rules Committee.  Christofanelli will sponsor several more pieces of legislation to bring oversight and accountability to these districts in this Legislative Session.