Group supporting Amendment 5 spends more than $3 million ahead of election

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The group promoting Gov. Mike Kehoe's push to eliminate Missouri's income tax has spent $3 million so far this election.

Filings with the Missouri Ethics Commission show Missouri Promise PAC has spent $3.3 million from April 1-June 30 supporting Amendment 5. Most of its spending has gone toward "media" so far.

Its major donors in the report are two groups - $1.9 million from Missouri Promise Inc. and $1.5 million from Secure Missouri. The latter group's website said it "was formed to support Governor Mike Kehoe’s vision of a stronger, more competitive Missouri where businesses thrive, families prosper, and communities grow."

Since the end of the quarterly reporting period on June 30, Missouri Promise PAC has taken in several donations greater than $5,000, the threshold the state mandates groups disclose within 48 hours. Those reports show more than $6 million through in-kind contributions from Missouri Action, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that promoted "civic participation."

Opposing Amendment 5 is the Missouri Association of REALTORS-backed Missourians for Fair Taxation. That group has so far spent $1 million, after receiving $1.9 million from the real estate group on June 2. It has so far spent $807,990 on media opposing the income tax elimination.