© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Missouri Lawmakers Block Higher Taxes on Some Farmland

farmland
File
/
KBIA
Farmers in southeast Missouri are suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over flooding in 2011.

Missouri lawmakers are blocking a tax increase on the state's most valuable farmland.

The Senate voted 29-2 on Thursday to reject the State Tax Commission's plan to raise some agricultural tax values for 2017 and 2018. The House passed the same resolution last week on a 133-24 vote. It does not need the governor's signature.

Property taxes on Missouri farms are based on their productive value, not market value. The productive value on the best 35 percent of farmland would have increased by 5 percent if lawmakers didn't block the proposal by early March.

Republican Sen. Mike Parson said the timing wasn't right for more taxes on farmers. Some House Democrats said the extra money could have gone to underfunded schools.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
Related Content