Town Hall on Amendment 5 scheduled for June 29

A town hall meeting focused on Amendment 5, a proposal by the Missouri legislature that would replace the state income tax with increased sales and use taxes, will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, July 29, at Joplin City Hall.

The town hall is not a city of Joplin event, with the fifth floor of City Hall (602 S. Main St.) being used simply as the venue.

It is being organized by State Rep. Lane Roberts, R-Joplin.

The bill's sponsors, state Rep. Bishop Davidson, R-Republic, and state Sen. Curtis Trent, R-Springfield, will provide information and hold a question-and-answer session.

Amendment 5 is a proposal slated for the Aug. 4 ballot.

A similar event was hosted recently in Carthage by state Rep. Cathy Jo Loy, R-Carthage.

For more information on the Joplin event, contact the office of Roberts at 417-540-8185 or 573-751-3791.

Proponents of Amendment 5 argue that Missouri is losing high-paying jobs to states without income taxes, such as Texas, and that phasing out the state income tax will make Missouri more competitive and attract more investment.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe also has been a supporter of the proposal.

However, groups such as the Missouri Association of Realtors and Associated Industries of Missouri have argued that Missouri has a low cost of living, a low corporate tax rate and saw more business creation in 2024 and 2025 than almost every state that has no income tax currently, the Missouri Independent reported.

The Missouri Association of Realtors has donated $1.9 million to the campaign opposing Amendment 5, according to the Missouri Independent; Missouri Promise PAC, which supports Amendment 5, reported a similar donation of $1.9 million from Missouri Promise Inc., a nonprofit incorporated in Delaware whose donors are not publicly disclosed.

The language the voters will see on the Aug. 4 ballot related to Amendment 5 will read:

"Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:

"• Require legislative phase-out of the individual state income tax based on revenue growth, and authorize the expansion of sales and use taxes;

"• Curtail constitutional limits on taxing goods and services; and

"• Require local tax rate cuts without reducing school funding if local sales tax revenue increases?"

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