Opinion: Keep the American Dream in Missouri

Alex Riley

Every parent wants one thing for their kids: the chance to build a better life than the one they inherited. That is the core premise of the American Dream. As a dad of four, I think about that every day. I want my kids to dream big. But more than that, I want them to have every opportunity to turn those dreams into reality right here in Missouri. 

Missouri should be the economic powerhouse of the Midwest, not because government makes it so, but because our people do. We already have many of the building blocks we need to get there: hardworking people, world-class farmers and manufacturers, innovative entrepreneurs, abundant natural resources and communities rooted in faith, family and freedom.

Now is the time to build on those strengths.

Our goal should be to build a Missouri where our kids choose to stay, where businesses choose to invest and where families put down roots for generations. The American Dream should not require a moving truck.

That is the vision behind Amendment 5 and the effort to eliminate Missouri’s income tax.

Today, states are competing for something far more valuable than tax dollars. They are competing for people.

Across America, families choose where to live based on opportunity, affordability and quality of life. Businesses choose where to grow based on where they can succeed. The states winning that competition have embraced policies that reward work, encourage investment and leave more money in the pockets of the people who earn it. Eliminating the income tax has become the cornerstone of that approach.

Texas, Florida, Tennessee, South Dakota and other states without an income tax have led the nation in domestic migration, attracted billions of dollars in private investment, and become destinations for new businesses and expanding industries. Americans are voting with their feet, choosing states where opportunity is growing and where they can keep more of what they earn. 

States without an income tax consistently rank among the most competitive and desirable places in America, not just for businesses looking to invest, but for families as well.

Missouri should be competing alongside them.

Amendment 5 charts a responsible path in that direction. It phases our income tax out over time as Missouri modernizes its tax code and our economy grows. Just as importantly, it doesn’t simply trust future politicians to do the right thing, it constitutionally requires it. Amendment 5 includes strong guardrails that require any modernization of Missouri’s tax code to remain revenue neutral, preventing lawmakers from using tax reform to increase Missourians’ overall tax burden or use it as an excuse to grow government. That ensures the long-term goal remains exactly where it belongs: lowering the overall tax burden on Missouri families as the income tax is phased out.

The choice before Missouri is clear: Will Missouri lead, or will Missouri follow?

Missouri’s greatest asset is not government. It is our people. When families keep more of what they earn, they have greater freedom to save, invest, buy a home, prepare for retirement and build the future they want. When businesses know a state rewards hard work and welcomes investment, they create jobs, expand opportunities and strengthen local communities. 

Every parent wants their kids to succeed. But no parent wants success to mean saying goodbye. Too many Missouri families have watched their sons and daughters pack up for no-state-income-tax places like Dallas, Nashville or Tampa. Not because they stopped loving Missouri, but because they believed they could build a better future somewhere else.

States do not compete for lower tax rates. States compete for people. They compete for the engineer deciding where to take a job, the young couple deciding where to buy their first home, the skilled tradesman deciding where to raise a family, the entrepreneur deciding where to launch a business and the manufacturer deciding where to build the next facility.

There is no reason Missouri should not lead that competition.

The generations before us built the Missouri we inherited. Now it is our turn to build a Missouri that gives our kids every reason to stay and gives families across America every reason to come.

Amendment 5 is about believing in our people, rewarding work and building an economy that creates opportunity for the next generation.

That is why I am voting yes on Amendment 5 to eliminate Missouri’s income tax, and I hope you will join me.

Rep. Alex Riley is a Republican representing District 134 in the Missouri House of Representatives, where he also serves as Majority Leader. He can be reached at alex.riley@house.mo.gov.