Missouri’s Tax Administration Practices: Some Ideas For Improvement

Economy |
By Michael Rathbone | Read Time 1 minute minutes

Overall, the three guiding principles in tax policy and tax administration should be simplicity, consistency, and equity. Complexity and inconsistency in administration can cause confusion not only for taxpayers, but also for the people charged with enforcing the state’s rules and regulations.

The government should not favor a particular business, industry, item, or service unless there is a compelling public interest for doing so. When the government tries to pick winners and losers, it tends to pick losers. Free markets, and more specifically, the free people who comprise such markets, should be the ones determining whether a good, service, or business is needed. Government’s obligation is to make sure that the system works, for everybody.

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About the Author

Michael Rathbone was a policy researcher at the Show-Me Institute. He is a native of Saint Louis and a 2008 graduate of Saint Louis University, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering. In 2010, Michael obtained an M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis with concentrations in finance and health care management. At the Show-Me Institute, Michaels policy areas included the state budget, taxes, public pensions, and public subsidies. He also delivered lectures to area high school students about the Great Depression from an economic perspective. Michael lives in Fenton.

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