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Finance Chair elaborates on...

Finance Chair elaborates on Senate’s position regarding House income tax plan

By: Sarah Ulmer - March 17, 2021

Chairman of Finance, Senator Josh Harkins, sat down to discuss the reasons behind why the Senate did not move forward with HB 1439, the Mississippi Tax Freedom Act.

The deadline for original floor action on bills coming from the opposite chamber was Tuesday. That means, the Mississippi Tax Freedom Act had to be taken up on the Senate floor before adjournment. However, the bill was still in committee.

RELATED: Income tax phase out proposal from House set to die in Senate, but survives in bond bill

Senator Harkins said early in the day that the bill would not be coming up. While he commended the House for addressing the issue, he cited concerns over the speed in which the bill was presented and sent to the Senate for consideration as well as the overall policy.

Harkins plans to present a resolution in the Senate on Wednesday that will allow for a study committee to commence during the summer of 2021 to further look into the idea of phasing out the full income tax.

RELATED: Speaker Philip Gunn says the phase out of income tax needs to happen this year

However, members of the House including Speaker Gunn and Representative Trey Lamar said this language needs to push through this year and that Mississippians shouldn’t have to wait.

The House is attempting to revive the language by amending a bond bill, SB 2971, with the original language of the proposal. They did however take out the sales tax increase on farmers, loggers and manufacturers.

About the Author(s)
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Sarah Ulmer

Sarah is a Mississippi native, born and raised in Madison. She is a graduate of Mississippi State University, where she studied Communications, with an emphasis in Broadcasting and Journalism. Sarah’s experience spans multiple mediums, including extensive videography with both at home and overseas, broadcasting daily news, and hosting a live radio show. In 2017, Sarah became a member of the Capitol Press Corp in Mississippi and has faithfully covered the decisions being made by leaders on some of the most important issues facing our state. Email Sarah: sarah@magnoliatribune.com