City Earnings Taxes…Why Bother??

Before our state worries about bringing in expensive new pro sports facilities (example- new Kansas City Chiefs workout center), tourists, or businesses from out-of-state, it needs to concentrate on the state of its two largest cities.

Being Missouri’s two largest cities and thus the sites of the most urban business and commerce, Kansas City and St. Louis are reflective of the state’s well being in general. The ability of these cities to attract people to buy property along with businesses is essential in maintaining the general health of the state as a whole. But, with earnings taxes in existence on top of income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, etc., why should new businesses, much less old ones want to stick around in either Kansas City or St. Louis?

Tax credits and other forms of “giving back” to the people are inevitably only case-specific and will not solve the financial crisis in the grand scheme of things. Cutting the earnings taxes in Kansas City and St. Louis will allow for small businesses to come and stay. In a time of a weak economy, the need for an unraveling of past policies is necessary. Spending by the wrong people got the economy of the U.S., Missouri, and Missouri’s top cities into a mess, and giving incentives back to the people by getting rid of earnings taxes in Kansas City and St. Louis is the start to fixing that mess.

~ by reformer9 on January 5, 2009.