Realtors Donate $1.9M to Fight Amendment 5 Income Tax Elimination Plan
Missouri Realtors inject $1.9 million into campaign opposing Amendment 5, matching pro-tax plan funding in what’s becoming the state’s most expensive ballot fight.
JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI — The Missouri Association of Realtors contributed $1.9 million to oppose Amendment 5 on Tuesday, intensifying the battle over a proposed constitutional amendment that would create a pathway for state lawmakers to eliminate Missouri’s income tax through expanded or increased sales taxes.
The substantial donation to Missourians for Fair Taxation came just days after Missouri Promise PAC, the committee supporting Amendment 5, received $1.9 million from Missouri Promise Inc., a Delaware-incorporated nonprofit whose donors remain undisclosed. The nearly identical contributions — the Realtors’ donation exceeded Missouri Promise’s check by just $1 — signal that the August ballot measure is rapidly becoming one of Missouri’s most expensive and politically significant contests of the year.
Amendment Details and Tax Rate Implications
If voters approve Amendment 5, lawmakers would need to establish revenue triggers for reducing the state’s top income tax rate, currently set at 4.7% for taxable incomes exceeding approximately $9,200. The amendment would allow legislators five years to modify what transactions are subject to sales tax or increase the rate to generate revenue needed to accelerate income tax elimination.
The amendment does not specify the revenue triggers. Without expanding the sales tax base to include additional transactions, the current 3% sales tax rate would need to increase to as much as 11.5% to replace income tax revenue, according to the source material.
Opposition Campaign Mobilizes Grassroots Support
Scott Charton, spokesman for Missourians for Fair Taxation, said the Realtors’ contribution represents member donations from across Missouri who are working to defeat what opponents have labeled the “Everything Tax.”
“These donations come from the pockets of Realtors who are on every Main Street, suburban circle and country road across Missouri,” Charton said in a statement. “We have 26,000 hardworking grassroots members who are mobilized to protect taxpayers against the deceptive Amendment 5’s Everything Tax.”
The Missouri Association of Realtors has emerged as one of the most prominent opponents of Amendment 5, expressing concerns that the proposal could enable lawmakers to reconsider constitutional protections that voters previously approved against real estate transfer taxes.
Competing Visions for Missouri’s Tax Structure
Amendment 5 opponents argue the measure would grant lawmakers expansive new taxing authority and could shift a greater portion of government costs onto everyday purchases and services. They contend this approach would disproportionately impact middle and lower-income residents who spend a larger percentage of their income on taxable goods and services.
The August ballot measure represents a fundamental debate over Missouri’s tax structure, pitting proponents who favor eliminating income taxes against critics who warn of potential negative consequences for consumers and state revenue stability.
Both sides are expected to intensify their campaigns leading up to the August vote, with the substantial financial commitments from both the Missouri Association of Realtors and Missouri Promise indicating the high stakes involved in the outcome.
