Senator Will Kraus Responds to Governor's Remarks Made Regarding Taxation Bill

JEFFERSON CITY — Today (5-30), Sen. Will Kraus, R-Lee’s Summit, released a statement to address questions asked by the governor concerning House Bill 253.

“This morning, the governor issued a press release regarding the possible loss of sales tax exemption for prescription drugs in HB 253. The section of the bill the governor refers to, 144.030, is part of the Streamlined Sales Compact language. That exact language was recommended to me by the governor’s own Department of Revenue (DOR), and, throughout the process, officials at DOR assured me and others that the language was correct.

Upon further review, it looks as though removing the second reference to ‘over the counter’ would easily fix the potential problem, and leave the prescription drug exemption intact. Since the streamline language, including the language in Section 144.030, does not take effect until January 1, 2015 (see Section B of HB 253) it can be fixed in the 2014 legislative session.

I urge the governor to sign HB 253, which would provide broad-based tax relief to Missouri’s residents and businesses. ”