A state audit blames cost overruns in the drug tax credit for senior citizens on a poor estimate upfront and how it ultimately was administered. The audit zeroes in on two problems: The estimate given lawmakers figured 260,000 Missourians would receive the credit, while nearly 460,000 received it; Then, the Department of Revenue gave the $200 tax credit to 105,000 seniors who did not apply. That came to a total of $18.6-million. State Auditor Claire McCaskill says lawmakers have been too quick to blame the Department of Revenue for allowing a $20-million program to balloon to $80-million.
