Kansas City income Tax - What is that??

[adebord]

Originally Posted by Weaubleau

I'm pretty sure the e tax has come up for a vote a couple of times in the last few years, and it passes every time. Just based on the most recent election, it seems clear that the residents of KCMO want the city to keep moving forward, not become a low tax wasteland, that seems to be happening across the border to the west.

Low Taxes bring business. Get competitive or get out. KCMO has clearly not chosen the competitive side.

[PA650]

Originally Posted by adebord

Low Taxes bring business. Get competitive or get out. KCMO has clearly not chosen the competitive side.

I believe Denver and Minneapolis have their fare share of municipal taxes. On the other hand, maybe we should mirror ourselves on the conservative utopia of Kansas. Their low taxes are making things boom out there and now they're the envy of the whole country....

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by adebord

Low Taxes bring business. Get competitive or get out. KCMO has clearly not chosen the competitive side.

A good balance is key. With metro areas accounting for a huge majority of population and job growth, a low taxes at any cost model is a failure.

[Okey Dokie]

The earnings tax started, I believe, in the 1960s. Most people who lived in the suburbs were working in the city of KC. JoCo was a bunch of sleepy bedroom communities, with very few business and commercial buildings. So the e-tax was instituted to get a pound of flesh out of the JoCo-ers (and the Independence-ians and others).

Kansas Citians would be fools to abolish the e-tax. That money would have to come from somewhere else, most likely property taxes.

[SPonteKC]

Originally Posted by lovekcmo

Maybe the next vote on the Etax should be only open to vote by those who pay the ETAX?

I just ate at Joe's Kansas City and paid Kansas sales tax. Should I get to vote on that, even though I'm not a citizen of Kansas?

[adebord]

Originally Posted by Okey Dokie

The earnings tax started, I believe, in the 1960s. Most people who lived in the suburbs were working in the city of KC. JoCo was a bunch of sleepy bedroom communities, with very few business and commercial buildings. So the e-tax was instituted to get a pound of flesh out of the JoCo-ers (and the Independence-ians and others).

Kansas Citians would be fools to abolish the e-tax. That money would have to come from somewhere else, most likely property taxes.

People used to live in the burbs and work in KC. KC tried to tax it, now they do both in the burbs.

KC needs some serious help on the tax front. It's out of touch with reality. Turning the inner 670 loop into a "Free trade zone" would be a good start. No Etax, No sales tax and no property tax on commercial real-estate.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by SPonteKC

I just ate at Joe's Kansas City and paid Kansas sales tax. Should I get to vote on that, even though I'm not a citizen of Kansas?

Exactly. JOCO residents apparently don't care about ridiculously regressive taxes like 10.0%+ on grocery food items either. That tax level just doesn't happen in most of the US because many states do not tax grocery food items at all. For example, I can go to a grocery store where I live in Indiana and only be charged sales tax if I buy a soda item, but no other categories.

[adebord]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Exactly. JOCO residents apparently don't care about ridiculously regressive taxes like 10.0%+ on grocery food items either. That tax level just doesn't happen in most of the US because many states do not tax grocery food items at all. For example, I can go to a grocery store where I live in Indiana and only be charged sales tax if I buy a soda item, but no other categories.

Cool story man.

When I shop for a house or place to work, I do not consider the price of soda in the supermarket. Paying a flat %1 of gross income is a huge hit to the bottom line.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by adebord

Cool story man.

When I shop for a house or place to work, I do not consider the price of soda in the supermarket. Paying a flat %1 of gross income is a huge hit to the bottom line.

Thank you for ignoring the point regarding regressive taxes. They certainly do exist in different forms, and taxes on grocery food items are certainly very regressive- meaning very few states impose them. In terms of states that currently lack a state income tax in the Sunbelt, both Texas and Florida have certainly seen quite an uptick in overall cost of living because they are high population growth areas. High population growth areas continually demand more infrastructure, services, schools, fire, police, and other amenities that lead to increases in taxes and cost of living over time. The flat 1% E-tax in KC,MO is not unusual for large cities across the country, and is a more conservative approach compared to very regressive taxes imposed in other categories by other states.

[adebord]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Thank you for ignoring the point regarding regressive taxes. They certainly do exist in different forms, and taxes on grocery food items are certainly very regressive- meaning very few states impose them. In terms of states that currently lack a state income tax in the Sunbelt, both Texas and Florida have certainly seen quite an uptick in overall cost of living because they are high population growth areas. High population growth areas continually demand more infrastructure, services, schools, fire, police, and other amenities that lead to increases in taxes and cost of living over time. The flat 1% E-tax in KC,MO is not unusual for large cities across the country, and is a more conservative approach compared to very regressive taxes imposed in other categories by other states.

KCMO doesn't provide large city amenities given it's high tax base. It has one single grocery store downtown.

The entire 670 loop needs a tax abatement.