Senior Advisor for State Tax Policy at @centeronbudget.bsky.social. Helping fund a prosperous multiracial democracy by day. Mostly planes, trains, automobiles, and playlists by night.
Wesley Tharpe
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Rather than accepting the proposed tax-swap plan, Missouri should reject flawed anti-tax claims & instead take a closer look at what we know works: protecting & raising revenues to pave the way for bold investments in a brighter future. www.cbpp.org/research/sta...
Wesley Tharpe
The income tax would also be hard to truly replace, since it accounts for about two-thirds of the state’s general budget. Without massive sales tax hikes to replace that revenue, vital services like education face serious risk. mobudget.org/schools-face...
Such a change would be deeply regressive because sales taxes fall most sharply on low- to middle-income people. If the full tax swap comes to pass, the middle 20% of Missourians could pay an extra $535/yr. itep.org/missouri-inc...
The time has also never been worse for costly regressive plans, as states face widespread pressure from recent federal tax & spending cuts that are taking away people’s access to health care & food assistance to help fund a windfall for the wealthy. bsky.app/profile/wesl...
The plan itself – long a priority of Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe – is intended to essentially swap that state’s already modest personal income tax with a super-charged sales tax, namely by extending the tax to more services & goods & potentially increasing the rate.
Backers of Missouri's plan are also recycling some decades-old anti-tax talking points, but the evidence is clear: tax cuts don't deliver the economic gain or interstate migration benefits proponents claim. www.cbpp.org/blog/states-...
Proponents of such tax cut plans often contend that harmful budget cuts won’t come to pass, because…magic math. But we’ve seen this play before: even states like N.C., that phased in cuts gradually, are now learning the hard way. itep.org/north-caroli...
This all comes in a state that’s already been slashing taxes deeply in recent years, costing billions in lost funding for public investment each year and overwhelmingly benefiting a narrow sliver of Missourians at the top. www.cbpp.org/blog/missour...
One of this year’s most consequential state #tax fights took a troubling step forward last week—Missouri lawmakers advanced a deeply regressive & costly plan to a ballot referendum later this year. Here’s what folks need to know: missouriindependent.com/2026/04/21/p...
Some states are still out here cutting taxes like the bill isn't coming due. My team at @centeronbudget.bsky.social is restarting our tracker to document the fallout. Sign up on the main page for email updates when new posts go up. www.cbpp.org/blog/some-st...
Wesley Tharpe
Wesley Tharpe
Wesley Tharpe
Wesley Tharpe
Missouri voters will decide later this year whether to grant lawmakers power to increase and expand the sales tax to replace the income tax.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey recently cited an $11 million cost when vetoing a program that would have helped youth transitioning out of foster care to live independently, find work, and...
