Gov. Jay Nixon is pointing to Missouri's credit rating in defending his veto of tax cutting legislation.
Nixon has sent lawmakers a letter that says enacting the tax cuts could jeopardize Missouri's AAA-credit rating. Nixon says credit rating agencies noted the legislation in reports this month.
The legislation would cut tax rates for individuals and corporations and create a new deduction for business income reported on individual tax returns. When fully phased in, it has the potential to reduce state tax revenues by hundreds of millions of dollars. However, some of the tax cuts depend upon continued growth in state revenues.
Supporters of the cuts plan an election-style effort to encourage the Republican-led Legislature to override Nixon's veto.
