Burlison prefiles bill to eliminate tax on fitness centers

Missouri Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield, yesterday prefiled a bill to exempt fitness and yoga centers from the state’s entertainment tax.

The bill, Burlison said, would reverse what he called an overly broad interpretation of the state’s tax designed for such items as tickets for sporting events and amusements parks, according to a news release.

In recent years, Burlison said the Missouri Department of Revenue has expanded the use of the tax to cover other activities, including workout programs, arts and craft studios, fitness or pilates classes, and sponsorships for animals at zoos. He cited the court case PF Golf LLC v. Director of Revenue, where the court ruled the department inaccurately applied the tax.

“Faced with rising health care costs, personal decisions by Missourians to stay healthy and fit shouldn’t be limited by bureaucrats stretching tax laws well beyond their original purpose,” Burlison said in the release. “We have a duty to act so small-business owners and individual taxpayers don’t pay the price for bureaucratic overreach.”

The Missouri General Assembly’s session begins Jan. 7.

Previous attempts by legislators to curtail the tax have fallen short. Sen. Bob Dixon, R-Springfield, had sponsored a bill to broaden the definition of the tax, but he pulled it during the veto override session to send it to committee. Dixon said the tax nearly put Springfield fitness center Big Time Results out of business, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.