Tagged: taxes

Missouri House members have voted to reject a tax plan that would increase property taxes for the best farms.

Property taxes for farms are based on the land's "productive value." Farms are divided into eight groups based on land quality, with the best in Grade 1 and the worst in Grade 8. The Missouri Tax Commission has recommended increasing productive values for the four highest grades.

The property tax changes for 2013 and 2014 take effect unless the Legislature approves a resolution to reject them. House members voted 117-39 on Tuesday to reject the tax proposal.

Missouri businessman Rex Sinquefield has donated $1.3 million to a committee that supports overhauling the state's tax code.

The committee Let Voters Decide backs a proposed ballot measure that would replace Missouri's income tax with a broader sales tax. Missouri Ethics Commission records show Sinquefield made the donation Monday. Campaign contributions of more than $5,000 must be reported within 48 hours.

The Illinois Supreme Court has upheld a law that created a $31 billion statewide construction program.

It unanimously rejected arguments that lawmakers improperly mixed together different issues in a single piece of legislation.

The court on Monday said all parts of the law had "a natural and logical connection" to the public works program.