Appeals court rewrites Amendment 5

By Jason Hancock | Editor-in-Chief

“We agree that the resolution does not sufficiently inform voters of the resolution’s expansion of the General Assembly’s sales and use tax authority and the elimination and suspension of existing constitutional limits on taxation.”

– Judge Thomas Chapman, in a unanimous appeals court decision on Amendment 5’s ballot summary

by Rudi Keller

The proposal directing lawmakers to eliminate the state income tax by expanding or increasing sales taxes will remain on the Aug. 4 ballot but the summary voters will see must be changed, the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals ruled Friday.

by Sterling Sewell and Max Quinn

The rapid expansion of data centers is far outstripping efforts to regulate them in Missouri and other states, leaving failed legislation, hastily called moratoriums and divisive local elections to address the massive industrial facilities popping up across rural America.

by Jacob Fischler

The federal government will spend $700 million on building or refurbishing coal power infrastructure across the country in a boost to “clean, beautiful coal,” President Donald Trump said in the Oval Office.

Thanks for reading The Daily Independent. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.