To the Constituents of the 125th District,

We finished up special session last week that was called by the Governor in September. Part of that special session was to deal with an income tax reduction for Missouri citizens. The House and Senate agreed upon a bill that will reduce Missouri income taxes by almost a 1⁄2%. Any reduction we can give to Missouri citizens is a win I feel, as they should keep and spend their money as they see fit. We will now be back in the district through the end of the year. We will start the new legislative session on January 4, 2023.

House Approves Plan to Cut Income Tax for Missourians

Missourians would keep more of their hard-earned dollars under a tax cut plan approved by the Missouri House last week. SBs 3 & 5 left the Senate as a reduction to the state’s top rate of income tax with triggers for additional reductions. The plan that has now been approved by both the House and the Senate would reduce Missouri’s top individual income tax rate from 5.3% to 4.95% in 2023. Healthy revenue growth could then trigger additional cuts to incrementally bring the rate down to 4.5%. General revenue growth of $175 million would trigger a reduction of 0.15% to bring the top rate down to 4.8%. Additional 0.1% reductions would be enacted with annual general revenue growth of at least $200 million. If fully enacted, the additional reductions would bring the rate down to 4.5%.

The bill approved by both chambers would also exempt the first $1,000 of Missourians’ income from taxation. Under current law, only the first $100 of a taxpayer’s income is exempt from taxation. The bill’s sponsor said, “This is a bill that delivers an immediate tax cut for working Missourians and then also sets the rate to be further reduced over a course of time.”

Parson said the bill will “provide real relief to taxpaying Missourians. Relief that is even more critical now as Missouri families face rising grocery bills, high gas prices, and record inflation. This bill means our administration will have cut Missourians’ income tax rate by almost a full percentage point or a nearly 15 percent decrease.”

“I voted yes on amendment 5. Here’s why:

Currently, 48 states have departments of defense or military affairs operated by their states Adjutants General. These departments oversee the military forces of each state. Missouri and Massachusetts are the only two states who do not have their own departments in the same manner. Amendment 5 would fix this problem by transferring our National Guard from the department of public safety into its own department.

The proposal is needed for two very important reasons:

1.      To provide a proper chain of command &

2.      To provide a more streamlined budget process as well.

During a natural disaster or state of emergency, time is of the essence. Our Adjutant General and our Guard must be able to have a direct line of communication with their Commander in Chief, the Governor. Effective communications are essential to command and control. Additionally, the measure would make room for improvement through a more streamlined budget for our National Guard.

I was proud to support this pro-military piece of legislation in the legislature and I intend to vote yes again in November.”

I am honored to serve as your Representative in the Missouri House. If at any time, you have questions, concerns or ideas regarding state government, please feel free to contact me at 573-751-4065 or Jim.Kalberloh@house.mo.gov.

State Representative Jim Kalberloh