talking points

1. Taxing power--exercise by state and local governments.

Section 1. The taxing power may be exercised by the general assembly for state purposes [, and by counties and other political subdivisions under power granted to them by the general assembly for county, municipal and other corporate purposes].

a. We pay in to the state through our state income taxes, which when first enacted was a means to support all principal forms of government in our state, now we are taxed at so many different levels we have lost touch with reality. Several examples are in the Amendment X, where it repeats, see below.

2. Classification of taxable property--taxes on franchises, incomes, excises and licenses.

. [Nothing in this section shall prevent the taxing of franchises, privileges or incomes, or the levying of excise or motor vehicle license taxes, or any other taxes of the same or different types.]

3. (1) Residential property; No tax will be assessed against residential real estate property;

(2) Agricultural and horticultural property; No tax will be assessed against agricultural and horticultural property;_

Every year tax sales occur, where persons homes are auctioned off for back taxes, my amendment will remove that from ever occurring. No more working for your entire life to buy a home, to lose it when you retire because you are living on a fixed income.

4. Income tax laws, may incorporate federal laws by reference--rates, how set.

[The general assembly shall in any such law set the rate or rates of such tax. The general assembly may in so defining income make exceptions, additions, or modifications to any provisions of the laws of the United States so referred to and for retrospective exceptions or modifications to those provisions which are retrospective.] The general assembly may not increase the tax

a. WE the people vote these people in office to save us from unscrupulous forms of taxation, and after they are in office, we are forever forgotten. From this point on no more closed door politics, it is time for the people to vote for these measures instead of intrusting our incomes and lives to someone who works for the entity that taxes us.

5. Section 6. 1. automobiles, motor vehicles, tractors and farming equipment, office equipment used for the production of income and or record keeping, farm animals, rate on income without a majority vote of the people

a. It seems mute to list every item that we should not be taxed upon year after year, but by listing some of these out, it will force our government to look at the facts and listen to the voting people. When we purchase these items we pay tax, then we are taxed again and again because we own them. These items are used to create the income in which we are already taxed upon, and we should not be forced to pay taxes in another form on.

b. I f you look at the 2008Missouri Department of Revenues Tax and Fee Distribution, you will see many instances of repeat taxation

6. Limitation on state tax rate on tangible property.

Section 8. The state tax on real and tangible personal property, exclusive of the tax necessary to pay any bonded debt of the state, shall not exceed [ten] two cents on the hundred dollars assessed valuation.

a. We do not wish to bankrupt our state, but let us face the facts, 10% of the valuation we are paying taxes upon, this is only to cover bonded debt. Isn’t this what the interest on the income which is sitting in many different forms of securities cover?

In the 2008 Fiscal Summary I have found 5079634592.00 sitting in unappropriated funds. In the jucicial Plan 88056100.00, in the Dept of Trans., 235564519, at the Chilicothe Prison 27936029.00, in the Dept of agriculture, 1752577.00, in the Dept of Cor., 15273162.00, in the dept of econ Deveol 2258762530.00, Dept of Elem and and Sec. Educ, 7758027.00, in the University Acct’s 2436741670.00, in the Dept of Mental Health 7789987.00, for a total of 5079634592.00 in unused money. I did not count reserve bldg funds, retirement, safety, reserve Accts for Veterans, Retirement Systems, Dept of Social Services, or Private Inmate Funds.

7. Taxing jurisdiction of local governments--limitation on assessed valuation.

Section 11(a). [Taxes may be levied by counties and other political subdivisions on all property subject to their taxing power, but the assessed valuation therefor in such other political subdivisions shall not exceed the assessed valuation of the same property for state and county purposes.] Taxes may not be levied by state, county, township and other political subdivisions on any property owned by citizens or taxpayers of the state of Missouri.

a. Again another way of stating they can tax us on everything we own. If we do not list them out from each category they will use it as a loophole to tax us again. This was addressed in Section 1, and here it is again.

b. I have placed in the wording by citizens or taxpayers of the State of Missouri, because I do not believe if you live in another state, you should enjoy the freedoms that Missouri Citizens are working for. Example: you are a resident of California but own property in Missouri, you will not be removed of the obligation of the tax, but will only pay taxes up to the level as discussed to cover our State Bond Debt.

8. [Authorization of local taxes other than ad valorem taxes.

Section 11(f). Nothing in this constitution shall prevent the enactment of any general law permitting any county or other political subdivision to levy taxes other than ad valorem taxes for its essential purposes.]

a. Another way to say the county, city, and local authorities can tax you, a repeated form of taxation, and therefore should be deleted.

9. [Operating levy for Kansas City school district may be set by school board.

Section 11(g). The school board of any school district whose operating levy for school purposes for the 1995 tax year was established pursuant to a federal court order may establish the operating levy for school purposes for the district at a rate that is lower than the court-ordered rate for the 1995 tax year. The rate so established may be changed from year to year by the school board of the district. Approval by a majority of the voters of the district voting thereon shall be required for any operating levy for school purposes equal to or greater than the rate established by court order for the 1995 tax year. The authority granted in this section shall apply to any successor school district or successor school districts of such school district.]

a. The school boards should not have the power to dictate tax dollars, but should be exercised by a vote of the people. Many of these boards by stating that, they lose the value of our comments.. So any levy for schools should be placed in front of the taxpayers by a ballot vote. No closed door politics. I cannot be certain, and it is my opinion, but why, if they are not paid positions, do they allow such excessive waste? Let me use an example. The school board of Jennings School District, approved 3 million dollars of expenditure, identified by Elliot Davis of Fox 2 News, and when asked “do they feel they wasted the tax payers dollars” they responded by saying “Elliot don’t you waste money?” The amount thrown away by this schools waste is the equivalent of the Spring Bluffs School District for the entire year. You may look at any schools budget and expenditures by visiting http://dese.mo.gov/schooldata/profile or MODESE Annual Report of School Data. Look up your own school district and see if you can make since of how some school districts, like the Spring Bluff District can manage on 6000.00 s student a year, but Jennings is $11618 per student, almost double.

10. Tax sales--limitations--contents of notices.

Section 13. [No real property shall be sold for state, county or city taxes without judicial proceedings, unless the notice of sale shall contain the names of all record owners thereof, or the names of all owners appearing on the land tax book, and all other information required by law.] No real or personal property owned by any citizen of the State of Missouri shall be sold for state, county or city taxes.

a. The right to own our property without fear of losing it for taxation should be a constitutional right. As we age, the one thing we take comfort in, is the fact we own our homes, and hope to live in to our demise. Every year thousands of homes are sold for taxes, and many of these people are on a fixed income. The values of the homes are falling, but our tax assessments keep increasing, this must STOP NOW. With this amendment no one will ever lose their home they have worked their entire life for, for taxes. Again look in your newspaper, call your county clerk, type in an internet search for Missouri Tax Sales, the evidence is overwhelming.

11. Political subdivisions to receive voter approval for increases in taxes and fees--rollbacks may be required--limitation not applicable to taxes for bonds.

[not authorized by law, charter or self-enforcing provisions of the constitution when this section is adopted or from increasing the current levy of an existing tax, license or fees, above that current levy authorized by law or charter when this section is adopted without the approval of the required majority of the qualified voters of that county or other political subdivision voting thereon. If the definition of the base of an existing tax, license or fees, is broadened, the maximum authorized current levy of taxation on the new base in each county or other political subdivision shall be reduced to yield the same estimated gross revenue as on the prior base. If the assessed valuation of property as finally equalized, excluding the value of new construction and improvements, increases by a larger percentage than the increase in the general price level from the previous year, the maximum authorized current levy applied thereto in each county or other political subdivision shall be reduced to yield the same gross revenue from existing property, adjusted for changes in the general price level, as could have been collected at the existing authorized levy on the prior assessed value. ] without a majority vote of the citizens of Missouri.

another way to say they can tax us for many organizations that are far profit, such as ambulance districts. In the state budget, money is being given to ambulance districts, just one example of a political subdivision. If you use the service of an ambulance district you or your insurance agent receives a bill for these services, you pay for the right. I do not believe any FOR PROFIT business should receive our tax dollars to cover their budgets. I am an accountant, and many times I cannot pay my bills, because of short falls, but I do not receive your hard earned tax dollars to cover them, and neither should they without a ballot measure by the people. Ambulance Funds were 24435422.00, did not count fire district funds, community improvement districts received 7628147.00, all of the decorations on bridges and overpasses, Tourism, received 7045392.00, we still have to buy the tickets to get in these amusement areas. These numbers come from the 2008 Missouri Fiscal Summary.

In the ballot language written by the State, they have stated that this proposal will eliminate services to the blind, but I have not used that terminology any where in my amendment. Per the Constitution, Article X, this funding from Rairroads, 6/10ths of one per cent of the tax goes to a blind pension fund. I did not change that section any where, so no services to the blind, as far as my amendment was changed. I have tried to generate data in regards to the number of blind people who use that particular fund, and from what I could find to date, there are 5000 persons between Missouri and Kansas classified as legally blind. I did find lots of programs that benefit the blind outside of our tax dollars, and those will not change. The railroad tax, is the section they are referring to, and no change or modification was made to this, so the amount collected from RR cars can still go to this fund.

In regards to the school system:

An audit of each school system needs to be done by an outside firm, not of the States Government, and should be a separate entity from the city, county, and or school, to verify that our money is being used correctly. Elliot Davis, From Fox 2 News, just did a story on the $3 Million wasted by Jennings School District. This amount of waste is the equivalent of the entire budget for the Spring Bluff District, The money allocated to each student from Jennings School District, is $11500 or so per student, and that is 5500 more that what is allocated to the school district where I live. The amount allocated to each student should not differ from school to school, since this is everyone’s tax dollars. Our school district does not have the luxuries of Larger School Districts, but we all pay the tax as a percentage of ownership. Teachers, Principals, and Superintendants Salaries should be based upon the same terms from school to school. The wages paid in our spring bluff school district on average is between $25 to $35 thousand a year: Jennings districts the wage is 38 t0 43 thousand a year. The administrator makes 97528 in Jennings in comparison to 64000 in ours. This is driving up the cost of maintaining an education, and needs an overhaul. These numbers come from MODESE Annual Report of School Data.

These teachers all have the same credentials and are all required to work on the same calendar, why is their pay greater? If the amount is even across the board, the cost per child will be equal. This is just one example, and with the taxpayers help, I am sure we can find greater ways of shrinking the costs. Our taxes should not pay for luxuries of Board Members who should be volunteers, and non-paid, Superintendants, and students. Our taxes should cover the cost of the necessities to earn an education. If the students require other luxuries, they should do fund raisers to cover those costs, so that all schools can be equal, and not upon the working poor of our State. We should not be forced in the situation that we can lose our homes because of these taxes.

In many instances, we as taxpayers, have no children or we are retired, but we still are forced to pay school taxes. How is it fair, that they who are on limited income, pay the tax to support a school system that is wasting our money, and have the risk of losing their homes because of it?

In regards as to what will replace the revenue. The unappropriated funds sitting in the states fiscal summary should be utilized to make up the difference to cover some of the cost. If the schools only receive the difference between federal, state, and private funding, that is needed for the necessary cost of an education, with the true numbers via audit, the rest could be raised through private funding or a special sales tax generated through local revenues, and the taxpayers will never lose their property for it.