This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, April 4, 2013 - The Missouri chapter of the anti-tax Americans for Prosperity took no positions on the 280-plus proposed local and county tax hikes around the state on last Tuesday’s ballots.
But that doesn’t mean the group is happy that at least 80 percent of them passed, including the St. Louis region’s Proposition P, aka the “Arch tax.”
"We are sorry that so many Missourians will be paying their local governments higher taxes in the months and years to come, taking money directly out of the Missouri economy,” said Patrick Werner, AFP’s state director.
"Americans for Prosperity recognizes that many Missourians don’t turn out for their local election and were probably unaware of the ballot proposals that could directly affect their pocketbook. This is why it is so crucial for citizens to become educated about and involved in their local government."
Weeks before the election, the group had compiled a list of all of the municipal and county taxes around the state on the April ballot and held a news conference to highlight them. Although officially neutral, the group’s activities implied that it wasn’t.
Now, says Werner, the state AFP will become more active. The plan is “to ramp up its municipal project for next year to include greater transparency by requiring all sample ballots to be posted online, providing resources to better educate local officials and citizens on the economic impact of local tax proposals, and providing programs for activists to fight back against future tax increases.”
“It’s particularly sad given that many families will be subject to a higher federal payroll tax burden and if the state legislature has its way, a higher state tax, too,” Werner continued. “Hopefully now more citizens will be aware of the opportunity they have to influence these decisions and will become involved next time their local government introduces tax proposals.”
