Governor Mike Parsons vetoed a bill to give Missourians tax rebates to offset rising food, service, and gas prices on Friday. Republican Governor Parson vetoed 4 spending bills. This included a stimulus check plan via tax rebates backed by both parties.
In his letter of veto letter, Governor Parson said he could not see any practical benefit for low- to high-income Missourians. They are the ones who pay the most income taxes to the state.
He wrote that the ones who are paying the highest amount via income taxes to the state would not be eligible for the planned credit via stimulus checks. He further disclosed that the proposition does not do much in assisting the families and individuals who have the lowest income in the State. This included SS recipients, retirees, and disabled individuals.
Democrat Backs Governor’s Stimulus Check Decision
Rep. Peter Meredith, the Budget Committee’s ranking Democrat, agreed with the governor’s decision terming the policy as a “stupid and bad” one. The governor vetoed an $83Mn proposition for an academy building for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Other appropriations totaled $144 million.
The Senate and State House passed Missouri’s largest budget on Friday. The recent budget allocates $49 billion toward school transportation, university scholarships, and personal as well as medical care.
Missourians received $500Mn in the form of tax rebates. Legislators were not happy with the pace of production of appropriation bills and voted, but they were pleased with the conclusions.
Republican state Representative Doug Richet called the process unsatisfactory but considered the results to be good. He said that he considered the transformative projects to be helpful for the state of Missouri over the upcoming 4 to 5 decades.
Individuals would have gotten $500 stimulus checks and married couples $1,000. Every Missourian with an income lower than $150,000 annually, if an individual and $300,000, if married, would have been sent checks.
A two-thirds majority in both state legislature houses can override the governor’s veto.
