A ballot measure in Nixa next month stems from a Supreme Court decision and subsequent legislation in 2012.
The case involved a Springfield man who purchased a boat in Maryland in 2011, then sued when a local sales tax was charged by Greene County on the purchase. The court ruled that without a local use tax in place, local tax could not be charged. The Missouri legislature then voted to allow counties and cities to keep collecting the tax on out of state vehicle, trailers, boats and outboard motor purchases as long as voters approved the continuation by November 2018.
Nixa Mayor Brian Steele said, if voters decide on April 4 to discontinue the tax, the city would lose up to $120,000 a year.
"That's about the salaries and benefit for three police officers. It's about 17 blocks of annual road repair or our entire parks maintenance budget," Steele said.
He urged voters to carefully read the ballot before casting a vote. A yes vote would discontinue the tax, and a no vote would allow it to continue.
To make it clear for voters what city officials anticipate would happen if the tax goes away, the ballot reads: “approval of this measure will result in a reduction of local revenue to provide for vital services for the City of Nixa and it will place Missouri dealers of motor vehicles, outboard motors, boats, and trailers at a competitive disadvantage to non-Missouri dealers of motor vehicles, outboard motors, boats, and trailers.”
View a sample Christian County ballot here.
