Sat, Nov 07 2009
|
|
Published July 04, 2009 11:39 pm - A Farmington attorney is stirring up a statewide fight over sales taxes, the bread and butter of many city budgets. He’s already targeted some Southwest Missouri towns and has plans to go after others — namely Joplin and St. Joseph — soon. Cities facing taxing issue
By Debby Woodin dwoodin@joplinglobe.com A Farmington attorney is stirring up a statewide fight over sales taxes, the bread and butter of many city budgets. He’s already targeted some Southwest Missouri towns and has plans to go after others — namely Joplin and St. Joseph — soon. Some officials in the cities and the state Legislature question his tactics, and some, his ethics. But that hasn’t stopped Tom Burcham. At issue is what is called “stacked” sales taxes. Burcham says Missouri law allows a town, with voter approval, to assess: one sales tax to pay for general-use, or general-fund, expenses; one sales tax to pay for capital projects, one for transportation-related expenses, and one for parks and storm-water projects. Burcham has said he will challenge Joplin’s public-safety sales tax this summer, citing it as a general-use, or general-fund, assessment that city officials have designated for public safety. He says the half-cent public-safety tax on top of the city’s 1-cent general-fund tax constitutes stacking and is illegal. He’s won his argument against a couple of small towns, Iberia and Purdy, though on different types of sales taxes. He has lawsuits pending against Mount Vernon and Granby. Mount Vernon may have sidestepped the fight by letting its disputed tax sunset. High stakes In all, 51 cities in Missouri have multiple general-use sales taxes and 15 have more than one capital-projects tax, said Gary Markenson, executive director of Missouri Municipal League. That state organization represents about 660 cities. “If he is successful and the judge nullifies these taxes, these cities are going to have to lay off fire and policemen,” Markenson said. “It’s pretty serious. If a judge orders the money collected refunded, they’ll be bankrupt overnight. And I’m not being alarmist either.” No refunds have been ordered in the Burcham challenges. Joplin’s city attorney, Brian Head, said the city did not intend to enact a stacked tax. He said city officials relied on an interpretation of the law supplied by the state Department of Revenue. 
•
Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.
More from the Local News section
Convict back behind bars after bogus release OK Freeman contract changes stem from internal audit Kansas consumer advocates scrutinize Empire rates case Jasper man accused of online trafficking in child pornography |
Print this story
E-mail this story
Post to del.icio.us
Discuss this story
Fire that damages detached garage under investigation
 |
 |
: Special Offer For New Subscribers
:
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
 |
|
|
Published by Newspaper Holding, Inc. 117 East Fourth Street, Joplin, MO 64801 Using our site is your agreement to the terms and conditions. News: news@joplinglobe.com • (417)623-3480 Advertise with the Joplin Globe Copyright © 2006 The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO All rights reserved. 
|
Popular Business directory links - Joplin Apartments | Joplin Attorneys | Joplin Auto Dealers | Joplin Auto Parts | Joplin Auto Repair | Joplin Beauty Salons | Joplin Car Rental | Joplin Dentists | Joplin Doctors | Joplin Flowers | Joplin Hotels | Joplin Insurance | Joplin Loans | Joplin Mortgages | Joplin Movers | Joplin Pizza | Joplin Realtors | Joplin Restaurants | Joplin Storage | Joplin Tax Preparation | Joplin Travel | Joplin Featured | More...
|
|
Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. • CNHI Classified Advertising Network • CNHI News Service |
