Analysis: Advocates split over Mississippi tax cut proposals

by Emily Wagster Pettus

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Policy groups are deeply divided over a proposal to phase out Mississippi’s personal income tax, with some saying the change could spur economic growth and others saying it could curtail funding for schools and other essential services.

House Bill 1439 plowed through the Republican-controlled state House on Feb. 23, a day after it was introduced. The 85-34 vote was largely along party lines, with only a few Democrats joining Republicans to support it and only one Republican joining Democrats in opposition.

Speaker Philip Gunn said the proposal would create a fairer system by putting larger taxes on consumption and smaller ones on productivity.

The bill would phase out the income tax, cut the 7% grocery tax in half, increase the sales tax on most items from 7% to 9.5%, and increase taxes on other items, including tobacco, alcohol, farm implements, and manufacturing equipment…

Kyra Roby is a policy analyst for One Voice, a Mississippi-based group that advocates for housing, education, and civil rights for disadvantaged groups. During a presentation March 4, she said the income tax is “the only fair portion of the state’s tax system … because it requires wealthier individuals to pay their fair share.”

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