TAXPAYER FINANCED CAMPAIGN COFFEE TOPIC

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce opposes the taxpayer-funded political campaign issue that is expected to be on the statewide ballot in November.

The chamber, which takes credit for stopping a similar initiative effort in 1998, takes the position that taxpayers shouldn't bear the burden of funding political campaigns.

Kelly Gellispie of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce will discuss taxpayer-financed elections during the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee at 7:30 a.m. Friday at the Show Me Center.

Missouri Voters for Fair Elections (MVFE) has turned in petitions to get the initiative on the ballot. Although the group has said the initiative carries a $13-million-a-year price tag, the chamber maintains there is no way to project the final financial impact since the fund must match the spending of candidates who choose not to participate in the program.

The proposed ballot measure would allow candidates for state office who limit campaign spending and refuse to accept money from private interest groups to receive a set amount of public funds for their campaigns. The revenue for state funding of campaigns would come from Missouri's corporate franchise tax.

The MVFE group submitted more than 108,000 signatures from registered voters. Jim Grebing, a spokesman for Secretary of State Bekki Cook, said approximately 70,000 valid signatures will be needed for the measure to qualify for the ballot.

The signatures have been sent to local county clerks for verification. Verified signatures must be returned to the secretary of state by July 25, said Grebing. Cook will determine whether there are sufficient signatures for the initiative to go before voters.

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

Chamber spokesmen say Missourians should not be forced to give their hard-earned dollars to politicians that they may not know or may not even support.

The St. Louis-based coalition's goal is to get an initiative proposal on the state election ballot that would require Missouri employers to foot the bill.

Ultimately, however, say Chamber spokesmen, taxpayers are going to pay the bill. Whether it's a business owner paying the proposed franchise tax increase, or a consumer who ultimately will pay a hidden tax through increased prices of goods or services, this initiative will cost the taxpayer, they say.

The coalition's proposal would increase the annual franchise tax on all corporations with assets of more than $2 million.

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.