Missouri Real Estate News: Ballot Proposition Sponsored by the Missouri Association of REALTORS to Ban Transfer Taxes on Sale of Real Estate Rejected by Missouri Secretary of State due to Insufficient Signatures

The Missouri Association of REALTORS, sponsor of a proposed state constitutional amendment to prohibit transfer taxes on the sale of real estate, announced today that it would file a lawsuit challenging the Missouri Secretary State's rejection of the ballot petition due to insufficient signatures.  On Monday, the Missouri Secretary of State announced that the ballot petition, known as Vote “YES” To Stop Double Taxation, failed to secure enough signatures of registered voters to qualify for the November ballot.

The Vote “YES” To Stop Double Taxation Committee collected thousands of petitions across six of the state’s nine congressional districts. The Committee plans to file a lawsuit in Cole County Circuit Court, asking that the petition signatures be declared sufficient. The suit will also ask the court to count signatures rejected by the Secretary of State due to petition circulators not being registered with the state.

“With the large volume of thousands of signatures of supportive voters and the deadline pressure scores of local election authorities faced to check the signatures, there will inevitably be mistakes, and we believe mistakes happened,” said Chuck Hatfield, attorney for the Vote “YES” To Stop Double Taxation Committee. “We owe it to the tens of thousands of Missouri voters who signed the petitions and worked hard on the issue’s behalf to go out and review the signatures and correct the mistakes,” Hatfield said. “We are committed to putting this important question before voters, so they have a chance to protect themselves from double taxation.”

Missouri remains among just 13 states that do not impose a transfer tax on real estate sales. The past legislative session included several proposals to impose a transfer tax on new construction. Lafayette Square REALTOR Michelle Silies commented "the imposition of a tax on the on the sale of real estate will only increase the costs associated the sale of one's home." Ms. Silies further stated "proposals for transfer taxes could not come at a worse time for homeowners already trying to sell their home in this challenging market."

Learn more about the amendment at www.YesToSaveHomes.com.