Missouri Affiliate Wins Court Victory On Conservation Tax - Conservation Federation of Missouri case - Brief Article

National Wildlife, Oct-Nov, 1999

The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled that the state's 1/8 percent conservation sales tax must be used only for conservation and cannot be considered part of the state's total revenues.

The decision is a victory for the Conservation Federation of Missouri, one of NWF's state affiliates, which was instrumental in persuading voters to approve the tax in 1976 and has led the fight in the courts to keep the fund from being raided.

State officials had wanted to divert money from conservation-tax revenues to pay refunds to taxpayers, as required by law any time the state exceeds certain spending limits.

In the two decades the tax has been on the books, it has generated more than $1.1 billion for conservation of the state's forests and fish and wildlife.