Testimony of David Stokes Before the Missouri House Economic Development Committee June 10, 2025

On June 10, 2025, David Stokes, director of municipal policy at the Show-Me Institute, testified before the Missouri House Economic Development Committee to express concerns about the property tax provisions included in a special session bill.

Stokes warned that the proposed property tax caps, added on the Senate floor without a public hearing, are constitutionally questionable, economically harmful, and likely to trigger long-term unintended consequences. He argued that freezing or severely limiting property taxes in certain counties will increase pressure on other revenue sources, such as sales taxes and state income taxes, and lead to greater use of tax districts like TDDs and CIDs. He also raised concerns about fairness and uniformity, noting that identical homes could be taxed at dramatically different rates simply based on how long someone has lived there.

Read his submitted testimony here: https://bit.ly/4kXtdII
See the recording of the full hearing here: https://house.mo.gov/MediaCenter.aspx