Missourians Against Unfair                         Taxes
3910 OLD HWY 94 SO, SUITE 121• ST. CHARLES, MO 63304 • 636-936-8800

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                CONTACT: TOM SULLIVAN  OCTOBER 17, 2006                                                                                                                        314-732-9993

FORMER SEN. WAYNE GOODE SAYS HE WOULD HAVE PREFERRED STATUTE
TO CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT FOR PROPOSED TOBACCO TAX

(ST. LOUIS) – Former state Sen. Wayne Goode of St. Louis County, a supporter and a drafter of the proposed constitutional amendment to raise the cigarette tax by 80 cents per pack, said yesterday he would have preferred the tobacco tax be put to voters as a statute rather than a constitutional amendment.

Goode made his remarks on "St. Louis On the Air," a public affairs program on KWMU radio in St. Louis, during a debate on the proposed tobacco tax. The tax will be on the statewide Nov. 7 ballot as Constitutional Amendment No. 3 and would be a 470 percent increase.

"I would have preferred it be done by statute," said Goode, during the discussion of why the tax proposal is being offered as a constitutional amendment. "I'm not crazy about putting it in the constitution." The former senator, who spent 42 years in the Missouri Legislature, was overruled by other supporters of the tax. 

"We are glad to at least agree with Senator Goode that the tobacco tax shouldn't be part of the constitution," said Fred Teutenberg, chairman of Missourians Against Unfair Taxes. "But we believe Amendment 3 is a very flawed proposal and should be defeated."

That the tobacco tax would become part of the Missouri Constitution has become a major issue in the campaign. In Sunday editorials, the Springfield News-Leader and the Columbia Daily Tribune came out against Amendment 3. Both cited the tax being in the form of a constitutional amendment as a reason for their opposition.

Supporters have said the proposal needs to go into the constitution to ensure the money will be spent as promised. Opponents have pointed out that the revenue from Amendment 3 may not accomplish what it claims as current funding could be diverted as the new funds come in. This has happened before, most notably with the lottery money.

The text of the proposed amendment fills five pages of small type, about 3350 words long. By contrast, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which relates to free speech, a free press, and the right to assembly, is only 45 words long. 

            Monday's debate on KWMU can be heard at www.kwmu.org. Click on "Programs" and then "St. Louis On the Air."

PAID FOR BY MISSOURIANS AGAINST UNFAIR TAXES, ROBERT WARD, TREASURER
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