KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics in Kansas, Missouri and at the local level. Share your story idea with Charlie.
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Missouri lawmakers will prioritize cuts to income and property taxes when the annual legislative session begins Wednesday in Jefferson City.
Speaker of the House Jon Patterson (R-Lee’s Summit) said his goal is to phase out the income tax over several years. He believes the legislature can pass property tax reforms this year, like reducing personal property taxes on vehicles and capping increases on commercial property taxes.
Patterson believes those changes will attract more people to move to Missouri.
“Why would we undertake this? It's not to bankrupt the state,” Patterson said. “What we'd like is for state revenues to grow because people are moving here.”
Patterson said he’ll propose several spending cuts this year based on a recent audit showing the state’s surplus fund will run dry in 2028.
House Minority Leader Ashley Aune (D-Kansas City) cautioned eliminating the income may not be as beneficial as Republicans believe.
"We don't know what those details look like yet, but most people assume it's going to come in the form of an increased sales tax, which we could see a sales tax of 18-19 percent,” Aune explained. “That doesn't make life cheaper for Missourians."
The legislative session runs until mid-May.
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