Missourians could soon see television ads urging them to support a tax cut measure that Gov. Jay Nixon has vetoed.
Two of the state's business groups — the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Associated Industries of Missouri — announced today that they will start airing commercials throughout the state on Monday, asking people to reach out to their lawmakers and push for an override of Nixon’s veto.
The two 30-second spots direct viewers to GrowMissouri.com if they want more information on the tax bill.
Grow Missouri is a political action committee created earlier this week. The PAC reported today that it had received $1.3 million from political mega-donor Rex Sinquefield of St. Louis.
In a 10-part veto message last month, Nixon called the tax cut legislation an “ill-conceived, fiscally irresponsible experiment that would inject far-reaching uncertainty into our economy, undermine our state’s fiscal health and jeopardize basic funding for education and vital public services.”
He’s already put a hold on $400 million in funding for education, health care, building repairs and other areas of the state budget that began July 1 in case lawmakers override him when they return to the Capitol in September.
But the Chamber says that the “overwhelming majority” of its employer members support the tax cut, “when they understand the details of the bill.”
“Reducing the tax burden on Missouri’s job creators and workers has been part of our agenda for more than a decade. But while legislative efforts have been blocked in Missouri, we’ve watched our neighboring states pass us by,” Chamber of Commerce and Industry President and CEO Dan Mehan said in a news release today. “We’re this close now and we are ready to fight to see it through. We owe it to all working Missourians.”
AIM President Ray McCarty said Nixon's restrictions on state funding amount to "coercion."
"Now is not the time to lose courage in the face of the threats of the governor," he said. "We encourage all Missourians to contact their state legislators and tell them they support the veto override and tax cut."
(The tax legislation is House Bill 253.)
