Missouri Republicans are pushing a plan that critics say could turn the state into “Kansas Experiment 2.0,” and judging by the furious reaction online, many residents are not buying the sales pitch.
The proposal, backed by Republican lawmakers and Gov. Mike Kehoe, would gradually eliminate Missouri’s state income tax if voters approve a constitutional amendment later this year. Supporters claim the move would attract businesses, create jobs, and allow residents to keep more of their paychecks.
But opponents say the idea is a recycled version of the disastrous tax-cut experiment that rocked neighboring Kansas in the 2010s under former governor Sam Brownback.
On Reddit’s r/Missouri community, the reaction was brutal.
“It would be just plain stupid if the state right next to us hadn’t tried this and failed. They did though so this is extra stupid,” one user wrote in a heavily upvoted comment.
Another added, “It will be devastating because it’s been tried before in Kansas and failed. So much it’s literally called the Kansas Experiment.”
That failed Kansas policy resulted in severe budget shortfalls, cuts to public services, and underfunded schools before Republican lawmakers eventually rolled much of it back.
Missouri residents fear history is repeating itself.
Critics argue that eliminating income tax revenue would force the state to rely more heavily on sales taxes, which tend to hit working-class and middle-income residents hardest. Several commenters pointed out that Missouri’s location near multiple state borders could create an unintended consequence: residents simply shopping elsewhere.
“I will 100% do my shopping in Kansas purely out of spite,” one Kansas City resident posted.
Others warned the plan could permanently tie Missouri’s hands if it fails.
“The KS legislature had the power to roll back the cuts, while in MO it’ll take a public vote,” another commenter wrote. “No matter how disastrous this goes it’ll be super hard to pass a new income tax.”
“Voodoo Economics” Returns to Missouri
Much of the backlash centered on the broader Republican economic theory behind the proposal: supply-side tax cuts.
One commenter mocked the plan as “true voodoo economics,” while another wrote, “The failure of supply-side economics schemes that never ‘trickle down’ is so well established.”
The anger also extended beyond the policy itself and toward the politicians backing it. Multiple commenters accused GOP lawmakers of prioritizing wealthy donors over ordinary residents.
“More nonsense to trick people into thinking they’re going to pay less taxes,” one user wrote. “We just want to see taxes benefiting us and not corporations or the rich.”
Others pointed to billionaire-backed groups and wealthy political donors supporting the measure, including longtime tax-cut advocate Rex Sinquefield and Americans for Prosperity, the Koch-backed organization pushing similar policies nationwide.
For many Missourians watching the debate unfold, the fear is simple: if Kansas already showed how this story ends, why is Missouri trying to run the same playbook again?
