Bill > HB1276

This bill authorizes specific cities in Missouri to levy a local sales tax of up to one-half of one percent specifically to improve public safety, subject to voter approval. The bill allows cities meeting very precise population and classification criteria to impose this additional sales tax, which can only be used for police, fire, and emergency medical services' equipment, salaries, benefits, and facilities. The tax must be approved through a voter referendum with specific ballot language asking if the city should impose a sales tax for public safety purposes. If approved, the tax revenue will be deposited into a special trust fund dedicated exclusively to public safety expenditures, and the city must maintain its existing public safety budget level, ensuring the new tax supplements rather than replaces current funding. The bill includes detailed provisions for how the sales tax will be collected by the state's Department of Revenue, how funds will be distributed to the city, and what reporting and oversight mechanisms will be in place. An emergency clause is included, indicating the immediate importance of providing additional funding for public safety services in these specified municipalities.

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1276&year=2025&code=R