Real Estate Association Warns Missouri Ballot Measures

The American Real Estate Association (ARA) has joined the Missouri Association of Realtors and other organizations in opposing Missouri ballot Amendments 4 and 5, scheduled for the Aug. 4 statewide vote. The ARA asserts that these measures could significantly increase the cost of homeownership in Missouri and diminish the public's ability to influence tax policy.

Amendment 5 proposes to grant the state legislature the authority to expand sales taxes to a broad array of goods and services without requiring a public vote. The ARA warns that this could reintroduce transfer taxes on home sales, impose new taxes on services, and potentially push combined sales tax rates beyond 20%. According to the ARA, the outcome would be higher expenses for Missouri homeowners, prospective buyers, and real estate professionals.

Furthermore, the ARA states that Amendment 4 exacerbates these risks by making it considerably more difficult for citizens to initiate ballot measures. This is particularly concerning as Missouri voters have previously utilized this process to enact taxpayer protections in 2010 and 2016. The ARA argues that, collectively, these two amendments would empower lawmakers to raise taxes while simultaneously restricting the public's capacity to respond through the ballot box.

Jason Haber, co-founder of ARA, criticized Amendment 5 as the "Everything Tax," stating it would make homeownership more expensive and grant politicians unchecked power to increase taxes. Mauricio Umansky, another co-founder of ARA, added that Amendment 4 would impede citizens' ability to challenge legislative actions, negatively impacting real estate agents and families seeking to buy or maintain homes. The ARA's opposition is framed as a defense of existing voter-approved protections and the right to decide future tax questions.