Dear Editor:
The Aug. 22 edition of the News Tribune ran an article/interview regarding attorney Marc Ellinger's petition proposal to ask voters to eliminate Missouri's income taxes and replace them with an expanded, statewide sales tax.
Apparently the "Let Voters Decide" folks have been really busy. There are now 11 proposals that have been submitted. (I would venture to guess that none of the proposals have been submitted by middle- and lower-income citizens.) The article quoted Mr. Ellinger as saying, and I paraphrase, that getting rid of income tax and going to sales tax is a good thing for the state and the economy.
I keep asking questions but receiving no answers. Who will benefit from this besides upper income individuals and corporations? What would be the impact to low- and middle-income citizens that now pay either low or no income tax? How would this benefit the elderly and those on fixed incomes? Would this result in increased health care costs and insurance premiums? How would this benefit me?
I have never read anything that answers these questions to my satisfaction.
The article stated that Rex Sinquefield spent $11 million last year on this campaign, but that all Mr. Ellinger would say with regard to this fact is "Obviously, Mr. Sinquefield has been a very generous donor to Let Voters Decide".
I will not sign any petition for this "tax reform" - at least not until I get some answers. I urge the voting public to ask the important questions before signing petitions. What might sound like a good idea on the surface may turn out to be a bad idea for the majority.