taxes

The Democratic candidate for Missouri's District 34 Senate seat opposes the special session for tax cuts when lawmakers should be looking at "what our government should be doing for us."

The Democrat running for Missouri's District 8 is willing to work across the aisle with those "who truly want to represent the people."

The session, called by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, is supposed to center around a permanent income tax cut as well as tax credits for agriculture. However, some lawmakers are filing unrelated bills in hopes of passing them this time around.

Gov. Mike Parson wanted a starting date of Sept. 6 for a special session on an income tax cut and agriculture tax credits. However, Republican leadership in a joint statement said they intend to use this week for further negotiations.

Parson’s proposal would lower the state’s top income tax rate from 5.3% to 4.8% and eliminate the bottom income tax bracket. Some Democratic lawmakers and advocates have expressed concern an income tax cut is poorly-timed.

In addition to signing a record operating budget and nearly 40 other pieces of legislation, Gov. Mike Parson is calling for a special session to cut the state’s income tax.

Parson’s announcement comes after he vetoed a bill Friday authorizing a one-time, nonrefundable tax credit. On Thursday, he vetoed the $500 million allocated for the credit, foreshadowing a rejection of the credit itself.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed a food sales tax cut into law Wednesday.

The budget includes raising the minimum pay for teachers, fully funding the state’s Medicaid program, including its expansion population, and income tax credits, as well as close to $3 billion in federal funding for projects across the state.

Many homeowners in Wyandotte County saw sharp increases in their county home appraisals this year, which is causing some to consider relocating.

According to the state’s Department of Revenue, of the roughly 3.2 million Missourians who filed state income taxes, only around 1.4 million of them would receive their full tax credit amount.

School administrators spoke against the proposal, which as originally drafted would reduce school funding by up to $160 per pupil.