Public Finance

Missouri Tax Map: Americans For Prosperity Group Highlights 229 Proposed Increases

Americans for Prosperity -- a conservative, small-government advocacy group that was active in the presidential election -- is in full swing in Missouri, with a new project that the state chapter says is a first of its kind. Head to nomospending.com -- get it? -- to check out the organization's ne ... More >>

The Ten Most Egregious Tax Loopholes in the U.S.

Amazon Agrees to Pay Sales Tax in Texas; What About in Missouri?

On Monday, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and Amazon jointly announced they had struck a deal for the internet retailer to begin paying sales tax in the Lone Star state. Amazon has a distribution center in Irving, Texas, but has never paid sales tax for products shipped from the facility b ... More >>

Death and Taxes: Where Your Money Goes, In One-to-Ten Percent Increments

As we grudgingly made out our income tax checks to the government last week, we felt relieved that our annual nightmare was over. Then we turned to our gas bill and noticed this printed on the bottom: "University Ci Tax: $4.30." And at the bottom of our receipt from the Brentwood Target: "Incl 1% Ha ... More >>

House Transportation Bill Would Gut Metro Funding

​The US House of Representatives is scheduled to discuss today its version of the 2012 transportation bill -- a bill that could have major ramifications for the City and the counties.If passed, the bill, HR 7, states that mass transit would no longer automatically receive one-fifth of the fuel tax ... More >>

Steelman For Payroll Tax Cut, Akin Against Payroll Tax Cut, Brunner... Against?

​A few days ago, the Springfield News-Leader published a Q&A with the three candidates in Missouri's GOP Senate primary race. It's still early in the race and Sarah Steelman, Rep. Todd Akin and John Brunner have all positioned themselves as rock solid conservative candidates. As such, it's a ... More >>

Aerotropolis -- Voices from McGurk's

Albert Samaha"I think the state legislators are correct in cutting it down to size," said Manley.​We're deep into the third week of the Missouri legislature's special session and the economic development package featuring the "St. Louis Aerotropolis" proposal is still in the midst of serious debat ... More >>

Time For Missouri To Lose Its Hillbilly Status on Cigarettes

Cigarette machine or Missouri voting booth? You decide!​Fred Teutenberg would call Missouri "the last refuge of the persecuted smoker." That's one way to describe the state with the lowest cigarette taxes in the nation. Another would be to call it a hillbilly outlier, and justifiably so. When even ... More >>

Sarah Steelman and the "Clean Super Committee" Petition

Can Sarah Steelman ride the anti-Washington wave all the way to Capitol Hill?​Republican Senate candidate Sarah Steelman has weak fundraising, subpar name recognition, and a primary opponent who has gained support from the seemingly powerful conservative wing of the party. Her only weapon may be ... More >>

Rick Yackey and the Del Taco Tax Credits: We've Got the Backstory

Albert SamahaIs Ricky Yackey manipulating the historical preservation process?​ Updated 3:45 p.m. to show perspective of Alderman Scott Ogilvie. At a committee meeting last week, Alderman Scott Ogilvie pointed out Rick Yackey and his group of developers saved as much as $27 million in taxes ... More >>

Aaron Johnson: Man Threatens To "Blow Up" St. Louis IRS Facility Prior to Tax Day

Think you hate paying taxes? You don't hold a candle to Aaron Johnson of St. Louis County. Yesterday the 20-year-old Johnson pleaded guilty in federal court to calling an IRS facility in south St. Louis County and threatening to "blow it up." According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the threat was m ... More >>

University of Missouri, Other MO Colleges, Hit By Veterans' Lawsuit

War is hell; trying to pay for college tuition in Missouri ain't all that easy either.​A group of military veterans is suing trustees at the University of Missouri, Southeast Missouri State University and the Moberly Area Community College, alleging that the universities systematically overcharged ... More >>

Sinquefield's Tax Reform Labeled "Fiscally Untenable"; Could Require 12% Sales Tax

jamesrmoody.comJames Moody​An analysis of nine ballot initiatives financier Rex Sinquefield submitted to state officials this month calling for the elimination of Missouri's income tax has concluded that the state would require a sales tax of 12 percent in order to make up for lost revenue if any ... More >>

Sales Tax Could Reach 10-13 Percent If Rex Sinquefield Has His Way

Something like that.​Financier Rex Sinquefield, via his attorneys, filed nine initiative petitions Friday with the Secretary of State's Office calling for the elimination of the state income tax. Before being placed on the November 2012 ballot, the petitions would require signatures from two-third ... More >>

Now Here's a Cause Rex Sinquefield Should Get Behind (and Already Tacitly Endorses)

​Have you heard the news today? A guy in Fenton says he's planning a petition campaign to do away with the state's personal property tax. That's the tax you pay each year on your automobiles, boats, motorcycles, farm equipment and ATVs. Never mind the fact that you already paid a state sales tax o ... More >>

Missourians Are Schizophrenic About Earmarks

Image via​Our state can't get its story straight.  Yesterday, The New York Times' unpacked the debate over earmarks (are they good or evil?) by focusing on the St. Louis experience. Here's a quote from our mayor, Francis Slay, on Senator Kit Bond's love of federal $$$ and how Bond corralled i ... More >>

Lucky You: You're Worth $34.75 in Earmarks This Year

image via​We all know that our junior senator, Claire McCaskill, is outspoken about the need to eliminate earmarks and pork barrel legislation. Of course, this doesn't mean that all of Missouri's congressional delegation ascribes to this same kosher view of government spending. (No pork, get it?)C ... More >>

St. Louis Fed President Sees His Shadow: Six More Months of Crappy Economy

James Bullard: Bullish on Fed's latest plan.​The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis poked his head out of his granite bunker on Broadway and Locust yesterday to predict at least six to twelve months of recession. That's how long James Bullard believes it will take before the market ... More >>

Rex Sinquefield Registers His Bentley and His Vote in Osage County

Sinquefield's 2008 Bentley Continential Flying Spur could provide the city with $3,000 in taxes this year -- if he registered it in St. Louis.​The man who's poured millions of dollars of his own money into an effort to change the tax structure in St. Louis is not registered to vote in St. Louis, e ... More >>

Bialczak Brothers Plead Guilty to Tax Evasion Involving Police Towing Scandal

William Bialczak and his brother Kenneth Bialczak both pleaded guilty yesterday to two felony counts of tax evasion for their role in a towing scandal that rocked the St. Louis police department two years ago and led to the resignation of chief Joe Mokwa.  The United States Attorney's Office c ... More >>

Richmond Heights Wants to Become "Tourist Destination" -- by Taxing the Hell Out of Tourists

Admit it: You'd pay ungodly tax rates to vacation here.​With a tax rate on hotel rooms of 15.67 percent, the suburb of Richmond Heights already has one of the higher hotel tax rates in the nation -- higher than such tourist meccas as San Francisco and New York City, the St. Louis Business Journal ... More >>

Trak Starz Plead Guilty to Failing to File Tax Returns

The Trak Starz -- Shamar Daugherty and Alonzo Lee -- yesterday pleaded guilty to multiple counts of failing to file tax returns. According to a press release issued: Daugherty, Lee, and their various entities, had gross income of over $4.8 million for the tax years 2003 thru 2005. None of the indi ... More >>

Awarding Paul McKee Tax Credits Doesn't Violate MO Constitution, Judge Rules

Photo by Jennifer SilverbergDeveloper Paul McKee's tax credits are safe - for now.​The final judgment against anti-Paul-McKee crusaders Barb Manzara and Keith Marquard, at least at the level of Missouri's 19th circuit, is pretty brutal.Last October, the pair filed a suit in Cole County challenging ... More >>

Guess Which Muni Tries to Shame Deadbeat Taxpayers With Public Humiliation?

You might recall an RFT feature story, "Deadbeats Ho!", from a few years back. A run-down of high-profile delinquents who hadn't made good on their personal property and/or real estate taxes, it brought to light tons of bills that had gone unpaid by folks you didn't expect would be hurting, negligen ... More >>

Missouri Can Play the Tax Shell Game with the Best of the Them

flickr.com/photos/Up Your Egp Tax haven protests in New Jersey last month.Hundreds of millions of dollars are sucked from the pockets of taxpayers in every state in the union, with Missouri finishing No. 19 in revenue lost to offshore tax havens. Released on Tax Day by the U.S. Public I ... More >>

Free Movie!

It's all about the Benjamins

Paul McKee's Yard-Maintenance Update: Mow Your Own Lawn, Mister!

Deadbeats Ho!: Did you pay your tax bills last year? Of course you did — unless you’re called out in this story.

Update: Mow Your Lawn, Mister McKee?

Bowling for Dollars

Bowling alley owners hope to be spared from what they call an unfair tax.

The Tax Man Calleth

Tax Credit Update

Public Flogging Meeting on Tax Credits

Missouri Senators Bring Home the Bacon

Phantom of the Hood, Part 2

A local developer continues to gobble up land on the city's north side.

Mid-America Jihad?

Leaders of a now-defunct international aid charity face charges of funneling money to Iraq.

Applied Pressure

Should St. Louis County grant tax breaks to Scientology-linked tutoring programs?

Déjà Vu

The Cards overreached -- now San Francisco shows them the way

Smoke and Numbers

In the Century Building scrap, everybody's deal is shaky, even the mayor's

Wild Card

When it comes to Ballpark Village, the Cardinals may have a joker up their sleeve

Buy and Swell

Washington University is swallowing chunks of University City, and that may be a good thing

Terminal Lethargy

Is UM-St. Louis to blame for Bi-State's failure to build a much-needed garage?

Dear Dubya

Cardinals owner William DeWitt Jr. catches up with an old friend

Stiffed by TIF

City schools are being asked to give back tax dollars to developers

Motley Crew

The nascent effort to derail plans for a new stadium runs the length of the political spectrum

Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Fight

Even before the military started shelling, Washington University hoisted the white flag

Pay It Forward

How Proposition B would reform campaign finance in Missouri

Card Sharks

The St. Louis Cardinals want your money for their $370 million ballpark. But before the game begins, somebody needs to reshuffle the deck.

Missing the Big Picture

Missouri's tax system needs an overhaul, not a holiday

How Would You Rate Your Most Recent Income-Tax-Paying Experience?