Budget & Taxes (Property Tax)

This bill (SJR 73) is titled "Establishes the Missouri Homestead Act," but the provided context does not include any details about the act's specific provisions, policy changes, or who it would affect. The official abstract only states the name of the act without describing its content or mechanisms. Since no substantive information about the bill's purpose or provisions is available in the context, a meaningful summary cannot be generated.

SB 898 would create a new early education school district specifically for St. Louis County. This procedural bill establishes the administrative structure for a dedicated district focused on early childhood education programs within the county. It does not specify funding, curriculum, or direct impacts on families or schools beyond creating this new governing framework. The bill is currently pending review by the Senate Education Committee.

SB 1668 - This act establishes the "Missouri Innovation, Public Safety, and Accountability Act". The act authorizes a city to submit an innovation district master plan to the Department of Economic Development for the establishment of an innovation district. The master plan shall include the geographic boundaries, identification of vacant or underutilized property, public safety and infrastructure priorities, a general strategy for surplus or incremental state revenues, and high-level projections of anticipated housing units, jobs, business, and population impacts. The Department's authority to approve or deny an application shall be limited to determining whether the geographic boundaries are reasonable. All other application information shall be considered informational and not subject to approval, modification, or denial by the Department. The Department shall adopt and administer a single, standardized master scorecard to evaluate incentives for projects located within an innovation district. The scorecard shall establish uniform criteria, provide predictability and transparency, rank projects based on measurable outcomes, establish intermediate incentive tiers for projects that do not meet full eligibility, and assign project applications to incentive tiers based on the master scorecard. The scorecard shall include categories as described in the act. An application for incentives shall be approved or denied by a reviewing authority within forty-five calendar days. Failure to issue a determination shall result in approval of the application. (Section 620.6000) A city establishing an innovation district shall establish a fast track permitting process for projects located within the district, including the designation of a single, empowered point of contact that is authorized to coordinate reviews and issue binding determinations on behalf of all relevant departments, agencies, and offices. The city shall waive, reduce, or defer discretionary, duplicative, or extraordinary permit and development fees for projects within the district. For properties not subject to an existing tax increment financing plan or property tax abatement, fifty percent of the incremental increase in real property tax revenues generated after designation shall be deposited into the innovation district's public safety fund. The city shall adopt policies providing building code flexibility for adaptive reuse projects, as described in the act. The Department shall prepare and submit a biennial written report to the General Assembly summarizing the performance of the innovation district program, as described in the act. (Section 620.6003) The act establishes the "Rural Missouri Development Fund" for the purpose of supporting economic development, infrastructure, housing, workforce development, and related community-building activities in rural and smaller communities in the state. Any municipality in the top five percent of assessed valuation in the state and that has an innovation district shall deposit ten percent of new property tax revenues into the Rural Missouri Development Fund. Such funds shall be awarded to rural and smaller municipalities, and regional development organizations. The moneys shall be used for rural education, public infrastructure improvements, public safety, housing development, workforce development, and health care community service facilities. (Section 620.6006) The act establishes the "Innovation District Public Safety Fund", which shall be composed of fifty percent of net new state tax receipts generated in the innovation district. Moneys in the fund shall be used for capital or operating expenditures related to public safety and public realm improvements within the district. A project sponsor may apply to the Department for a construction-phase withholding advance. If the application meets all technical requirements, the Department shall disburse the construction-phase withholding advance. (Section 620.6009) For all tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, any person who is not a resident of this state and that establishes a primary residence within an innovation zone shall be eligible for an income tax exclusion. (Section 620.2012) The act authorizes an employer to enter into a withholding agreement with the Department for the retention of a portion of withholding taxes of employees located within an innovation district. The Department may establish aggregate or annual program caps by rule to manage fiscal exposure. Retained withholdings shall be used solely for qualifying reinvestment expenditures, as defined in the act. (Section 620.2015) For all tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, the act authorizes an eligible employer to claim a tax credit in an amount equal to $5,000 per eligible employee for relocation expenses incurred in moving such employee from out of the state into an innovation zone. (Section 620.2018) For all tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, the act authorizes a taxpayer to claim a tax credit in an amount equal to twenty-five percent of conversion expenditures incurred for converting nonresidential property into residential property. The tax credit may be claimed against the taxpayer's income tax liability or sales tax liability. (Section 620.2021) The act authorizes a city to establish a Missouri Opportunity Zone, which shall be conterminous with the innovation district boundaries. A taxpayer may elect to defer payment of state income taxes if such income tax liability is invested in a qualified Missouri Opportunity Zone investment, as defined in the act. This act shall sunset on August 28, 2036, unless reauthorized by the General Assembly. This act is substantially similar to provisions in SS#2/SCS/HCS/HBs 3231 & 2531 (2026). JOSH NORBERG

SJR 117 - This constitutional amendment, if approved by the voters, establishes the "Taxpayer Protection Act". This constitutional amendment requires nonrecall petitions and referred measures to be held on a general election, a municipal election, or on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of odd-numbered years. The amendment authorizes districts to consolidate ballot issues and allows voters to approve delays up to four years in voting on ballot issues, provided that district actions taking during the delay shall not extend beyond that period. The amendment requires a district to mail notice to each active registered elector with specific titles, as described in the amendment. Such notices shall include a summary both for and against the proposal. In addition to existing constitutional requirements for voter approval of new or increased taxes, this amendment requires voter approval for any new tax, tax rate increase, mill levy above the prior year rate, valuation for assessment ratio increase for a property class, extension of an expiring tax, or a tax policy change directly causing a net tax revenue gain to any district. Voter approval shall also be required for the creation of any multiple fiscal year direct or indirect debt or other financial obligation whatsoever without adequate present cash reserves pledged irrevocably and held for payments in all future fiscal years. The amendment requires each district to reserve a portion of its fiscal year spending to be used only for declared emergencies, as described in the amendment. The amendment places a limit on the percentage change in state appropriations equal to inflation plus the percentage change in state population in the prior calendar year, adjusted for any revenue changes approved by voters. The amendment also places a limit on the annual percentage change in a local district fiscal year spending equal to inflation plus local growth. If revenue from sources not excluded from fiscal year spending exceeds the limits in dollars for that fiscal year, the excess shall be refunded in the next fiscal year unless voters approve a revenue change as an offset. Initial district bases shall be current fiscal year spending and property tax collected for tax year 2025. Qualification or disqualification as an enterprise, as defined in the amendment, shall change district bases and future year limits. Future creation of district bonded debt shall increase, and retiring or refinancing district bonded debt shall lower, fiscal year spending and property tax revenue by the annual debt service so funded. Debt service changes, reductions, refunds, and voter-approved revenue changes are dollar amounts that are exceptions to any district base. The amendment prohibits new or increased transfer tax rates on real property. The amendment also prohibits any new state real property tax or local income tax. The amendment authorizes districts to enact cumulative uniform exemptions and credits to reduce or end business personal property taxes. The amendment requires real estate sales prices for past or future sales by a lender or government to be kept as public records. The amendment allows a local district to reduce or end its subsidy to any program delegated to it by the General Assembly for administration. For current programs, the state may require 90 days notice and that the adjustment occur in a maximum of three equal annual installments. This amendment is substantially similar to HCS/HJR 169 (2026). JOSH NORBERG

HB 3312 establishes a 6-year pilot program that redirects local sales tax revenues from purchases made in one county (seller's county) to the county where the buyer lives (purchaser's county). It directly affects veterans and senior citizens in specific small counties (based on population thresholds) by using redirected funds to eliminate veterans' residential property tax bills and reduce up to 30% of senior citizens' property taxes. The program requires sellers to use a unique transaction code to identify the purchaser's county, with tax revenues collected into a separate trust fund before being distributed monthly to qualifying counties. Counties must use these funds first to replace lost revenue from veterans' tax eliminations, then for senior citizen reductions, with any remaining funds going to general county revenue.

HB 3297 allows residential development in commercial or industrial zones if at least 40% of units are affordable for 30 years, prohibiting local governments from requiring zoning changes or special approvals for such projects. It mandates minimum density and height standards based on existing local rules and permits administrative approval without additional board review. The bill also creates property tax exemptions for qualifying affordable housing: full exemption for households earning ≤80% of median income, and 75% exemption for 80-120% of median income, applicable to new multifamily projects with over 70 units meeting income criteria. These tax benefits require annual applications with income verification and tenant restrictions, effective for tax year 2027.

HB 3171 repeals existing penalties for failing to submit personal property lists by March 1 and redirects those penalties (including interest) to the county employees' retirement fund. The bill requires county treasurers to deposit penalties monthly into the fund and mandates assessors to maintain logs tracking penalties, waivers, and reasons for waivers. This directly affects businesses and individuals required to file personal property lists, as their penalties will now support county employee retirement benefits instead of general county funds.

HB 3476 modifies how Missouri counties calculate property taxes for real and personal property. It changes the assessment rate for personal property to use a "base year value" starting January 1, 2027, and reduces taxes for solar equipment installed before August 2022 to 5% of value. The bill also adjusts airport-related property assessments by subtracting costs paid by non-government parties for improvements after 2008. Property owners, counties, and the City of St. Louis are directly affected, with assessments now tied to a biennial cycle (odd-year valuations applied in the following even year). Key provisions include updated tax rates for specific property types like agricultural crops (0.5%) and livestock (12%), alongside new rules for computer-assessed properties.

HB 3231 establishes Missouri's "Innovation District Program," allowing cities to voluntarily designate specific downtown or main street areas as innovation districts to access state economic development incentives. Participating cities must submit a master plan outlining district boundaries, infrastructure needs, and how incentives will be used, which the state must approve within 45 days. The bill provides standardized state tax breaks (like income tax exemptions and opportunity zones) and local incentives (such as property tax abatements) for qualifying projects within designated districts, evaluated using a uniform "master scorecard." It ensures these incentives apply automatically to eligible projects without local restrictions but explicitly states cities cannot be forced to join and local zoning authority remains intact.

HB 3402 allows county tax collectors to waive penalties and fees for taxpayers who made a good-faith effort to pay taxes on time but missed the deadline, provided full payment is made within 15 days of the delinquent date. It also covers cases where the county made errors in tax calculations or system failures caused late notices, requiring the county to refund waived penalties within 30 days of a written request. The bill does not change the requirement to pay taxes by December 31, only affects penalties and interest. It directly impacts taxpayers who face late charges due to county errors or system issues, not those who simply failed to pay.