JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is renewing his call for legislators to phase out the state’s personal income tax over several years, and he is asking them to spend more money on economic development, highways and the judiciary.
The Republican governor is also requesting additional spending on Capitol Police as the state-run agency is set to gain a wider territory to patrol within the capital city of Jackson.
Reeves on Wednesday released his budget proposals for fiscal 2025, which begins July 1.
The Republican-controlled Legislature could consider the document as they decide how to spend state money. But House and Senate budget writers have a long history of largely ignoring budget recommendations from governors, even when they’re from the same party.
Mississippi is in the process of reducing its personal income tax under a law Reeves signed in 2022. In his new budget proposal, he said he wants to erase the tax by 2029.
“Eliminating the income tax does not require cutting expenditures or raising taxes in other areas,” Reeves said. “Rather, it requires that our government lives within its means.”