Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves answers a reporter's question on his announcement of a tech company expected to invest $10 billion to build two data processing centers that will create 1,000 jobs in central Mississippi, during a Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, news conference in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
- Reeves tagged state officials and lawmakers on social media Tuesday morning, asking, “Are y’all with me??” and saying Republican voters “deserve to know!”
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves isn’t wasting any time advocating for the full elimination of the state’s income tax as lawmakers gavel in to begin the 2025 legislative session on Tuesday at noon.
Reeves took to X (formerly Twitter) early Tuesday morning to proclaim the issue as the “#1 Goal for this Republican.” The Governor tagged all seven of his fellow Republican statewide officials as well as Speaker Jason White and House Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar in this social media post, asking, “Are y’all with me??”
Governor Reeves said Mississippi Republican voters “deserve to know!”
As previously reported by Magnolia Tribune, the Legislature passed a package of tax reforms in 2022 that created the largest tax exemption in the country among states that collect income taxes. A single filer now pays no state income taxes on the first $18,300 in income. Married filers pay none on the first $36,600. The law also created a flat 4 percent tax on income over these levels, with changes fully phased in next year in 2026. However, lawmakers have stopped short of moving beyond that ever since, largely due to reluctance from the state Senate wanting to assess state revenues as the current tax cut is phased in.
The overwhelming majority of replies on social media on Tuesday morning were supportive of Reeves’ call for elimination with comments ranging from, “Eliminating the income tax would take Mississippi to the next level in growth!” to “This would be huge for Mississippi Families!!!”
In response to Reeves, Speaker White posted, “The House is ready. The time is now. Income tax elimination is our #1 priority. Let’s make it happen.”
White told reporters on Monday that he is pushing for the Legislature to take up full income tax elimination this session.
“I think it all needs to go. I think you’re going to see legislation from the House that does (that),” White said. “Now you’ll see legislation that makes it go in an orderly fashion a little bit longer than four years.”
Rep. Lamar also joined in by sharing, “We’ve been working on this since 2016. Let’s make 2025 the year we ELIMINATE the tax on work in Mississippi.”
Other state officials also backed the Governor’s call, including State Auditor Shad White and Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson.
“I’m for it, Governor! You are right on point. While we’re at it, lawmakers should cut unnecessary spending, like DEI spending at universities or administrative fat in the K-12 system to free up more cash to give back to taxpayers,” White wrote.
“A great conservative initiative for Mississippi to support and accomplish this year!” Gipson posted.
Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, the leader of the state Senate, had not shared or commented on Governor Reeves’ social media push as of the time of publication. Yet, Hosemann did say Monday at the Stennis Capitol Press Forum that he would be proposing to reduce the income tax rate by a quarter of a percent each year for four years in an effort to bring it down to a flat 3 percent by 2030.
