Boone County Commission to review use tax Thursday afternoon

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Boone County Commission plans to start the process Thursday to accept the election results of a newly voter-approved use tax.

Commissioners are scheduled to give a first reading of the results for the tax at their meeting at 1:30 p.m.

The commission is scheduled to give the second reading at its meeting scheduled for Tuesday morning. The tax will be implemented on Jan. 1, 2023.

Voters approved the measure in the April 5 election 15,278 to 13,157 in Boone County and 11,289 to 8,282 in Columbia. The measure will add a sales tax on out-of-state vendors for online purchases.

The tax on out-of-state vendors for online purchases is set to be 1.75% in Boone County and 2% in Columbia.

Columbia Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Matt McCormick spoke about the tax after it passed. McCormick says the tax will help level the playing field for local businesses.

"It really helps out in the area of our especially our small retail businesses here kind of helps with that, that playing field even the playing field against the online shopping online retail stores like an Amazon or like a Wayfair and things like that," McCormick said."It goes to things like helping with roads, filling in all those potholes that we so dearly love this time of year, helping with public safety, whether it be in the sheriff's department at the 911 Center, our local Columbia Police Department, and then a number of other different things. So other things like some parks a little bit in airport transportation things along those lines."

Voters previously rejected the "Wayfair Tax" when it was on the ballot in 2017.