Missouri Voters Reject Amendment 5, Keeping State Income Tax

Missouri voters rejected Amendment 5 in the state's August 2026 primary election, a constitutional amendment that would have given state lawmakers authority to phase out the individual income tax while expanding sales and use taxes to offset the revenue loss. The measure failed by a wide margin, with reports citing approximately 82.4% to 83% of ballots cast as "no," and one report noting the race was called around 8:15 p.m. with at least 1.1 million votes counted and 95% of precincts reporting. The outcome represented a significant setback for Gov. Mike Kehoe, who had prioritized the amendment in his State of the State address on July 29 in Springfield, describing it as a "revenue-neutral plan." Amendment 5 was one of four statewide constitutional measures on the ballot; Amendments 1 and 2 passed while Amendments 4 and 5 failed. Missouri's income tax generates significant annual revenue, with figures cited between $8.5 billion and $9 billion, funding transportation, education, social services and healthcare. Supporters of the amendment pointed to other states without income taxes, such as Florida and Tennessee, as models for spurring economic growth. Kehoe acknowledged budgetary challenges facing Missouri, including a declining general revenue surplus and revenues falling short of projections, while defending the proposal before the vote. Following the defeat, Kehoe issued a statement saying that although Amendment 5 failed, efforts to cut taxes in Missouri are "far from over," indicating potential future legislative action, though no specific new proposal has been confirmed. The nonpartisan Missouri Budget Project had raised concerns about the amendment's fiscal impact prior to the vote. Separately, Columbia voters in the same primary decided on a local 1% sales tax to fund police and fire departments, a distinct measure from the statewide amendments.