Constitutional Amendment to Article X, Relating to State, County, and Municipal Taxes, version 8
2010-033
[full text]Submitted by: Dr. Angela Basham
Dr. Angela Basham
P.O. Box 220
Leasburg, MO 65535
573-245-9970Official ballot title certified by Secretary of State on June 29, 2009.
OFFICIAL BALLOT TITLE AS CERTIFIED BY
SECRETARY OF STATE
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to restrict the ability of the General Assembly, counties, and other political subdivisions to tax and generate revenue by limiting the General Assembly’s power to pass legislation that permits counties and other political subdivisions to tax for county, municipal, and other purposes; removing the authority to tax Missourian’s real or personal property; requiring that any increase to state income taxes be approved by a majority vote of the people; and by removing or modifying certain other tax provisions?
Prohibiting the levy of property and sales taxes by local governments would eliminate or reduce funding for local governmental services, including public schools, transportation, safety, and health programs. State governmental services to the blind would be eliminated or reduced. The estimated cost to state and local governmental entities could exceed $8.5 billion annually.
I haven’t been approached to sign the petition to put this on the Nov 2010 ballot, but I don’t go to tea party rallies or places where I’d be apt to see these petition carriers. Has anyone else been approached to sign this? It would be easy to convince people to sign without reading it simply by asking if they want their taxes reduced.
At the MoveOn health care vigil in Tower Grove Park, there were several paid signature gatherers who had to be shooed away by park police. They claimed that major tax hikes were being threatened by the state, and that they were passing around this petition to stop it. When questioned about the particulars, they said that they just wanted to let the people vote on it, so even if you disagreed with the content, you should be for democracy and sign it.
The paid gatherers were very upset when asked to leave “the public park” by the MoveOn organizer, even when it was explained to them that the particular spot at which we gathered was reserved by permit, and that while they were free to roam around the park gathering signatures, we could ask them to leave our area.
I kind of felt sorry for them, though. Judging by the way they dressed, they needed the money, and were probably being paid by the signature, or at least had to turn in a quota to get a certain hourly wage. Still, I’d rather not have a tax freeze for all municipalities in the state no matter what the need or the situation.
Clark,
I may be confused (as usual) but I think this initiative petition is to abolish property taxes, not just freeze them. According to a letter in one of our local papers from one of the organizers, when asked what the schools will do for funding, the answer is “…if you want your school to have those thousands of dollars in your property taxes, by all means give it to your school, it will now become your discretionary funds to do what you want with.”
If that’s the real goal, this is way more destructive than a freeze. This is not just to limit taxes, this is anti-“public” period. Yes, they know they have the right to collect signatures in a public park. They just don’t want to be forced to pay for that park.