Preston Smith Shares Data On Rising Jackson County Sales Taxes

An important DATA-DRIVEN perspective for our www.TonysKansasCity.com blog community . . . A leading tax fighter in the struggle against the new stadium shares his perspective on the situation endured by locals. 

Here's the word: 

Preston Smith: Sales Taxes In Jackson County Are Too High

Anybody who lives in Jackson County knows that for the last five years, our property taxes have increased at rates higher than just about any other place in the country. In some cases, properties have been assessed at three or four times the market values.

But what about sales taxes? How do we rate when it comes to paying sales taxes compared with other places in the country.

You are going to be surprised. I was.

Two national groups that analyze sales taxes for more than 11,000 jurisdictions puts the sales taxes that Kansas City residents pay in the upper echelon.

The Tax Foundation, based on 2021 data, shows Kansas City ranked #26 in the country in sales taxes, with a total 8.850% rate. This was only slightly lower than the sales taxes in Yonkers, NY or New York City, both ranked at #24.

For 2024, the Sales Tax Handbook has Kansas City ranked at #16, with 11.98%.

The Missouri Department of Revenue has put out a map where you can determine your actual sales tax based on your address. 

 As I click around Jackson County, the highest rate the I could find was 9.9750% at 1000 Walnut, KCMO.

So the point of all this is: We are paying very high sales taxes already in Jackson County compared with many places in the US. Do we really want to add a bit more to pay for a new baseball stadium? We are being taxed to death here in Jackson County, not just on real estate taxes but also sales taxes.

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You decide . . .