A proposed tax cut is once again moving forward in the Missouri Senate after it was rewritten yet again. The bill had stalled after its sponsor, Republican Will Kraus of Lee’s Summit, offered a substitute that conformed to conditions that Democratic Governor Jay Nixon said were necessary for him to sign it.
Those conditions included reforming the state’s system of tax credits, and fully funding K-through-12 schools before any tax cut could take effect. The latest rewrite took out the tax credit language; it would implement the tax cut in 2017 instead of being triggered automatically once full public school funding is achieved.
Kraus says it still honors the spirit of his compromise with Governor Nixon.
“We’re working with the governor, but I also have to work with the legislature, and a number of other senators, there were some things that they wanted," he said. "I’m trying to work everybody toward the middle and get something done [so] that we can give some tax relief to Missourians.”
Meanwhile, Governor Nixon released a statement Thursday, in which he said that discussing tax cuts is a, quote, “nonstarter” unless Missouri lawmakers pass legislation to reform tax credits.
The latest version of Kraus’s tax cut bill received first-round approval in the Senate on Wednesday and could be sent to the Missouri House next week.