Missouri

Poor Families in Missouri Are Hit Harder by the Income Tax Than Those in Other States

 

Missouri’s 1999 income tax threshold — the income level at which families begin paying income tax:	Ranking among 42 states with income taxes
For two-parent families of four: $13,900.	14th lowest
For single-parent families of three: $12,400.	15th lowest (tie)
Missouri’s 1999 income tax on working-poor and near-poor families:
For families of four with incomes at the poverty line ($17,028): $68.	16th highest
For families of three with incomes at the poverty line ($13,290): $16.	17th highest
No tax on families of three or four with minimum-wage earnings ($10,712).
For families of four with incomes at 125% of the poverty line ($21,285): $233.	19th highest
For families of three with incomes at 125% of the poverty line ($16,613): $102.	21st highest (tie)
Missouri has consistently taxed families with incomes below the poverty line. Missouri’s tax threshold for families of four has increased during the 1990s, but a substantial gap remains between the threshold and the poverty line. In 1991, a family of four owed tax when its income exceeded 64 percent of the poverty line.  For 1999, Missouri’s tax threshold is 82 percent of the poverty line.