CAMPAIGN FINANCE PLAN CHALLENGED

"Something bad is about to happen."

That's the way a Missouri Chamber of Commerce executive described the initiative calling for taypayer-financed elections.

The initiative, sponsored by Missouri Voters for Fair Elections or MVFE, is targeting Missouri employers to foot the bill for political campaigns of legislative and statewide candidates.

Kelly Gellispie of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce said: "What it comes down to is this: Do you want to be taxed to pay for campaigns of candidates you don't know and may not even support?"

MVFE has submitted more than 108,000 signatures from registered voters in efforts to get the measure on the ballot. Approximately 70,000 valid signatures will be needed.

"It's a good bet to say it will be on the ballot," said Gellispie, vice president of the state chamber's Public Affairs Department. Gellispie was guest speaker at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee Friday. He announced the chamber's "No Tax Dollars for Politicians," designed to defeat the issue on the November ballot.

The MVFE program is set up to give candidates funds for the primary and general elections.

For representative candidates this means $15,000 for the primary and $15,000 for the general election, said Gellispie. From there it goes up to $50,000 for each election for senatorial candidates, $500,000 for each for some state races and $1 million for each for the governor's race.

Candidates would have to collect $5 each from 200 people to qualify for the funding, at which time they would be issued a debit card to receive funding.

MVFE says the initiative cost would be about $13 million and would be funded by increasing the annual franchise tax on all corporations with assets of more than $2 million.

Gellispie said the tax would be one-hundredth of 1 percent.

"This doesn't sound like much, but it mounts up," he said. "An easy way to determine the approximate cost for your business is to take your franchise tax of a year ago and add a third."

The MVFE's petition signatures have been sent to local county clerks for verification. Verified signatures must be returned to the secretary of state by July 25. The secretary of state will determine whether there are sufficient signatures for the initiative to go before voters by Aug. 8.

Proponents of the effort say it would reduce the influence of money and high-dollar contributors, including special-interest groups and corporations, and make it easier for average citizens to seek office.

In 1998, the group promoted individual taxpayer-financed election campaigns in Missouri. The group collected enough signatures for that proposal to be put on last November's ballot but eventually scuttled the drive.

Gellispie said the group itself has accepted large amounts of funding -- $75,000 in 1999 and $90,000 this year -- from out-of-state contributors. Among groups supporting the initiative are ACORN, which was behind the minimum wage increase ballot issue in 1996; the Missouri Coalition for Single Payer Health Care; the Sierra Club; and six labor unions.

Although the group has stated that the initiative would cost $13 million, there is no way to project the final financial impact since the funding is tied to the CPI, guaranteeing an additional tax increase every year, he said. "And the group must match the spending of candidates who choose not to participate in the program," said Gellispie.

PAYMENT PLAN

The MVFE plan would provide these amounts for qualifying candidates in every primary and general election:

* State representative: $15,000.

* State senator, $50,000.

* Some statewide offices: $500,000.

* Governor: $1 million.