The Missouri Farm Bureau’s top priority in November’s general election is passage of a sales tax extension for Missouri’s parks, soils and water conservation.
Image courtesy of the Missouri Farm Bureau
Missouri voters can cast ballots in November on a one-tenth-of-one-percent sales tax extension for parks, soils and water conservation. The tax was created through a constitutional amendment, and was first approved by Missouri voters in 1984. Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst says voters have renewed it three times: in 1988, 1996 and 2006.
“So it’s extremely important to anybody who uses our parks system, our beautiful parks system, or anybody who drinks water in the state of Missouri, because this makes a real difference in both preserving our soil and protecting our water supply,” Hurst says.
Hurst says teaming up with environmentalists, like the Sierra Club, is important in Constitutional Amendment One’s passage.
“Those relationships, those friendships, that we’re building with environmental groups are important as we work on other issues,” Hurst says.
Supporters say the tax would continue to generate about $90 million annually. Governor Jay Nixon (D) says the tax has helped prevent about 177 million tons of soil from eroding into state waterways.
