COLUMBIA — Backers of a proposal to scrap federal and state income taxes in favor of sales tax increases are setting their sights on Missouri as the next potential battleground.
Organizers of Saturday's Midwest Fair Tax rally at the Boone County Fairgrounds expect as many as 20,000 supporters to attend. Scheduled speakers include radio talk show host Neal Boortz, Republican Congressman John Linder of Georgia and Joe Wurzelbacher, better known as Joe the Plumber from the 2008 Obama and McCain presidential campaigns.
Efforts to replace the federal tax system with a consumption tax have fallen short in Washington for the past decade. But in Missouri, the state House of Representatives endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment in April that would replace the state income tax with a higher and expanded sales tax. The measure failed to gain Senate support.