You may not know it but this coming weekend is a holiday! No – not the kind you get to take off from work. But it is the kind you get to take sales taxes off your bill – if you live or shop in the right locations! Years ago, the legislature passed a “Back to School Sales Tax Holiday” to help lighten the load for consumers. Unfortunately, many political subdivisions don’t allow you to celebrate this holiday.
When this measure was first passed, every political subdivision wanted to have the ability to automatically “opt out” or in other words NOT participate in reducing taxes for the weekend. They certainly didn’t want to be put on the spot to have to actually vote to increase taxes during the holiday weekend. They preferred to just let it happen and not go on record supporting the tax increase.
As a legislator at the time, I didn’t believe that was right and made sure that any political subdivision that DID NOT participate had to actually take a vote to “opt out” and RAISE their taxes for that weekend. If you are gonna increase taxes on people even – temporarily – you should be willing to publicly say so. There have been other sales tax holidays created since this one and unfortunately, government won out over the taxpayer as they all are “opt in” rather than “opt out”.
Taxpayers should be aware of those who choose to discourage business for the weekend rather than encourage it. These entities are counting on people either not noticing or not voting with their dollars and shopping elsewhere. The following is the list of cities, counties and special taxing districts who have chosen to raise taxes for the weekend. You can download the list here.
Hopefully you can review the list and choose to shop in locales that give the taxpayers a break!
Hopefully you will review the list and contact your local elected officials and ask them what they were thinking when they voted to increase YOUR taxes for the weekend!
Below is the list of cities that will not participate in the 2012 sales tax holiday. City, County and District sales tax in these locations will still be collected on the sale of qualifying holiday items.
Cities Increasing Taxes for Weekend Shoppers
Alton | Ash Grove | Ashland | Ballwin | Battlefield |
Bellerive Acres | Berkeley | Beverly Hills | Black Jack | Blackwater |
Bland | Bloomfield | Bolivar | Boonville | Branson |
Brentwood | Bridgeton | Byrnes Mill | Cabool | California |
Camdenton | Canton | Cape Girardeau | Carl Junction | Carthage |
Cassville | Centertown | Chamois | Charlack | Chillicothe |
Claycomo | Clayton | Clinton | Collins | Columbia |
Cool Valley | Crystal City | Des Peres | Desloge | DeSoto |
Doniphan | Edmundson | Eldon | Eldorado Springs | Ellisville |
Ellsinore | Elsberry | Everton | Fair Grove | Farmington |
Fayette | Fenton | Ferguson | Festus | Flint Hill |
Freeman | Fremont Hills | Frontenac | Fulton | Garden City |
Gerald | Glasgow | Granby | Grandin | Grant City |
Green City | Greendale | Half Way | Hartville | Hawk Point |
Hayti | Higginsville | Hollister | Holts Summit | Houston |
Ironton | Jane | Jefferson City | Joplin | Kennett |
Kingdom City | Kirkwood | Koshkonong | Ladue | Laurie |
Leadington | Liberal | Licking | Loma Linda | Malden |
Manchester | Maplewood | Marble Hill | Marceline | Marlborough Village |
Marshfield | Marthasville | Merriam Woods Village | Meta | Moberly |
Montgomery City | Moscow Mills | Mount Vernon | Mountain Grove | Naylor |
Neosho | New Haven | New Madrid | New Melle | Nixa |
Noel | Norborne | North Kansas City | Northwoods | Oakland |
Osage Beach | Overland | Owensville | Ozark | Palmyra |
Paris | Pattonsburg | Peculiar | Pevely | Platte Woods |
Poplar Bluff | Purdy | Qulin | Reeds Spring | Richmond Heights |
Riverside | Rock Hill | Rockaway Beach | Savannah | Sedalia |
Seligman | Shelbina | Shrewsbury | Skidmore | Smithton |
Smithville | Springfield | St Ann | St Elizabeth | St Mary |
St Peters | Ste Genevieve | Stockton | Sugar Creek | Taos |
Thayer | Town & Country | Trenton | Twin Oaks | University City |
Urich | Vandalia | Velda | Walnut Grove | Warson Woods |
Washburn | Waynesville | Webster Groves | West Plains | Willard |
Willow Springs |
Counties Increasing Taxes for Weekend Shoppers
Audrain | Barry | Benton | Bollinger | Boone |
Callaway | Camden | Carroll | Cedar | Christian |
Clinton | Cole | Cooper | Dade | Dallas |
Greene | Grundy | Henry | Howard | Howell |
Iron | Jasper | Lawrence | Linn | Livingston |
Mercer | Moniteau | Morgan | Newton | Oregon |
Osage | Ozark | Phelps | Pike | Polk |
Pulaski | Putnam | Ray | Reynolds | Saline |
Shelby | St. Francois | Ste Genevieve | Stoddard | Stone |
Taney | Texas | Webster | Wright |
Districts Increasing Taxes for Weekend Shoppers
1225 Washington Community Improvement District | 1225 Washington Transportation Development District | 8750 Manchester Road Community Improvement District |
Arnold Retail Corridor Transportation Development District | Ballwin Town Center Transportation Development District | Boonville Riverfront Transportation Development District |
Branson Landing Transportation Development District | Branson/Lakes Area Tourism Community Enhancement District | Briarcliff Parkway & Highway 9 Transportation Development District |
Broadway Fairview Transportation Development District | CenterState Transportation Development District | City Hospital RPA 2 Phase 1 Community Improvement District |
College Station Community Improvement District | College Station Transportation Development District | Commercial Street Community Improvement District |
Conley Road Transportation Development District | Cozens/MLK/Grand Community Improvement District | Crackerneck Creek Transportation Development District |
Crowne Plaza Community Improvement District | Crowne Plaza Transportation Development District | CWE Business Community Improvement District |
Des Peres Corners Transportation Development District | East Main & Hwy 47 Community Improvement District | Francis Place Transportation Development District |
Fulton South Business 54 Transportation Development District | Georgian Square Community Improvement District | Gravois Bluffs Transportation Development District |
Grindstone Plaza Transportation Development District | Hanley Road Corridor Transportation Development District | Hanley Station Transportation Development District |
Hanley/Eager Road Transportation Development District | Harrisonville Town Center Transportation Development District | Hazelwood Commerce Center Community Improvement District |
Heers Tower Community Improvement District | Highway 71/291 Partners in Progress Transportation Development District | Independence Events Center Community Improvement District |
Interstate Plaza Northtown Village Transportation Development District | James River Commons Community Improvement District | Koch Plaza Transportation Development District |
Lake of the Woods Transportation Development District | Loop Trolley Transportation Development District | Manchester Highlands Transportation Development District |
Manchester/Ballas Community Improvement District | Market at McKnight 1 Transportation Development District | Meadows Transportation Development District |
North County Festival/Square Community Improvement District | Northwest Area Community Improvement District | Orpheum Theatre Community Improvement District |
Park Hills Transportation Development District | Prewitt Point Transportation Development District | Railway Exchange Building Community Improvement District |
Railway Exchange Building Transportation Development District | Randolph County Ambulance District | Regional Jail District of Daviess and Dekalb Counties |
Rock Bridge Center Transportation Development District | Salt Lick Road Transportation Development District | Shoppes at Stadium Transportation Development District |
St Francois Ambulance District | St Louis Convention Center Hotel Community Improvement District | St Louis Convention Center Hotel Transportation Development District |
Station Plaza Transportation Development District | Stone Ridge Transportation Development District | Suemandy Drive One Community Improvement District |
Suemandy Drive Two Community Improvement District | Suemandy/Mid Rivers Community Improvement District | Sullivan Fire Protection District |
Taney County Ambulance District | Truman Village Community Improvement District | University Place Transportation Development District |
Warsaw Lincoln Ambulance District | Wentzville Parkway I Transportation Development District |