Missouri voters will decide in August whether to approve a constitutional amendment that would slowly end the state’s individual income tax. Governor Mike Kehoe put the measure, known as Amendment 5, on the Aug. 4, 2026, primary ballot by signing a proclamation on Friday.
Amendment 5 is a major part of Kehoe’s agenda. If voters approve it, Missouri would begin a five-year process to phase out and then fully end the personal income tax. Supporters say the plan would be historic because state lawmakers would be asking voters to get rid of the modern income tax system entirely.
The income tax would not end all at once. It would be reduced over five years, based on growth in state revenue, until it is gone. After that, the amendment would block future state individual income taxes. Because income taxes now provide nearly two-thirds of Missouri’s general revenue, the plan would let lawmakers expand sales and use taxes to more goods and services to help replace that money. That is why some lawmakers from both parties call it a tax shift instead of a simple tax cut.
The amendment includes several rules meant to reduce some of the effects of the change. It would require cuts to personal property taxes and some other local taxes if local sales tax revenue goes up. It also says the state cannot reduce funding for public schools because of the tax change. In addition, it would ban new sales taxes on services or transactions that were not already taxed on Jan. 1, 2015.
Supporters of Amendment 5 say ending the income tax would help Missouri compete with states such as Texas and Tennessee, which do not have a personal income tax. Kehoe says a tax system that rewards work and investment will help attract businesses and residents. The proposal also follows a law he signed in July 2025 that ended Missouri’s tax on individual capital gains.
Opponents, including tax policy experts and progressive groups, say the plan would hurt low- and middle-income families the most. They argue that moving more of the tax burden to sales taxes would put more pressure on people who spend a bigger share of their income on everyday needs.
Amendment 5 is one of four constitutional amendments on the Aug. 4 ballot. Voters will also decide on Amendment 1, which would renew a 0.1% sales tax for 10 years to support soil and water conservation, state parks and historic sites. Amendment 2 would require all Missouri charter counties to elect county assessors directly and follow state training rules. Amendment 4 would make it harder for citizen-led constitutional amendments to pass by requiring a majority vote in every congressional district, instead of a simple statewide majority.
KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story.
