Missourians will soon be asked to vote on yet another constitutional amendment that could dramatically change how Missouri funds services. If approved by voters, Amendment 7 would create a permanent state investment fund with the purpose of eliminating all state taxes and replacing that revenue with investment earnings from the fund. The Bottom Line: Amendment 7 is unlikely to lead to the elimination of state taxes for decades – if ever. But in the meantime, it places funding for critical state services at risk if policymakers use revenue to build the fund instead of for services. Places...

For Immediate Release: August 4, 2026Contact: Traci Gleason or Amy Blouin Missourians overwhelmingly rejected Amendment 5 in the August election, saying no to the tax scheme that would have hit working families to give the wealthy yet another tax cut. “Missourians saw through the bait-and-switch,” said Amy Blouin, President and CEO of Missouri Budget Project, a nonprofit organization that analyzes state budget and tax issues. “Voters clearly chose to protect our schools and services over a tax cut for the rich.” Amendment 5 would have required the General Assembly to eliminate the income...

Measure leaves key tax hikes undefined while shifting costs to consumers

On Monday morning, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway called into KMOX radio and sought to assuage concerns about Amendment 5 on the Aug. 4 ballot. She said that both more

Missouri's four Catholic bishops are raising questions about Amendment 5, the income tax phaseout plan on the Aug. 4 primary election ballot.

Missouri Amendment 5 would gradually eliminate state income taxes by giving lawmakers the ability to put and raise sales taxes on any good or service in the state.

Both ballot measures would deprive Missourians of fundamental rights

Both ballot measures would deprive Missourians of fundamental rights

Oppose Missouri Amendment 5 to prevent unchecked tax hikes on essentials like groceries, medicine, and healthcare. Protect your family from higher costs and maintain tax fairness.

<p>It’s important to understand what it really means – especially for older adults living on fixed incomes.</p>

Voters will decide Aug. 4 whether lawmakers can phase out Missouri's income tax and broaden sales taxes. Supporters aren't saying what new items would be taxed or how much.

For Immediate Release: April 21, 2026 Legislature’s Tax Scheme Will Hurt MissouriansStatement from Amy Blouin, President and CEO, Missouri Budget Project With this vote, state lawmakers have advanced to the ballot a misleading tax scheme that would result in a massive tax hike for most Missourians. While the richest Missourians will pad their investment accounts, the vast majority of us will be subject to whopping increased costs for everything from home repairs to car insurance to burial services. Policymakers know the devil is in the details, so instead of putting a full plan to voters,...

Missouri policymakers are considering a proposal to swap the income tax for a greatly expanded sales tax, rigging the system for the wealthy and hurting Missourians and their communities. Not only would most rural Missourians see a tax increase under this tax scheme, but state services that support rural Missourians and their local communities would be at risk of devastating cuts, increasing instability in rural communities. Missouri’s income tax supports nearly 2/3 of Missouri’s state general revenue budget – a critical state funding source for K-12 schools, mental health services,...

Eliminating the income tax rigs the system for the wealthy, while hurting working people, families, and communities. Tell your State Senator to vote NO on this tax scheme.

For Immediate Release: March 10, 2026Contact: Traci Gleason Swapping State Income Tax for Increased Sales Taxes Will Harm Missourians, State & Local EconomyStatement from Amy Blouin, President and CEO, Missouri Budget Project In voting to move forward on a tax scheme that would undercut Missouri’s schools and harm our communities, Missouri legislators have made clear that their priorities lie with wealthy donors rather than hardworking Missouri families. Missouri families are already stretched thin. Childcare and groceries are more and more expensive, food banks can’t keep up with the...

The Administration must use all available options to fund November benefits for the 1 in 8 people in the U.S. who need SNAP to afford their grocery bill.

Some states continue to hand out huge tax cuts to millionaires. The five largest tax cuts this year will cost states a total of $2.2 billion per year once fully implemented.

Reported White House statements imply that if the federal government partially shuts down on October 1, the WIC program will shut down almost immediately, meaning low-income families would lose out...

The law will also "increase by 10 million the number of people without health insurance" over the coming decade, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated.

Courtney Leader has been closely following the contentious tax and spending debate in Washington – not that she cares much for politics, but because she believes the proposed Medicaid cuts are a matte...

The consequences are clear: Hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts, and millions left with no insurance.

Late last Wednesday night, the Missouri Republican-controlled legislature overrode the will of the state’s voters by repealing the paid sick leave portion of Proposition A, a ballot measure passed wit...

The U.S. House of Representatives is barreling forward to meet its self-imposed deadline of voting this week on legislation that would enact the largest cuts to Medicaid and SNAP in the history of the...