A grassroots initiative petition to redirect existing online sales tax funds to voter approved uses the same as regular “brick and mortar” retail sales.

Community groups have collected over 3,000 signatures of Kansas City, Mo. voters to get this on the Nov. 3 ballot

Kansas City voters can decide if their online sales tax, referred to as “local use tax,” should be divided up the same as sales tax purchases in stores.

What started with a quest to get the park around Brush Creek fixed up became this  ballot initiative, which could also save as many as ten bus routes that are currently on the chopping block. 

Voters in Kansas City started approving special use taxes years ago. Each time one of these taxes gets passed, the amount of local use tax collected from online and catalog sales increases, but the special use item does not get that revenue.

Instead, Kansas City has been putting that money into General Revenue, where mayor and council appropriate it. That money, projected to be $102 million in this budget year, is allocated elsewhere.