Voters should be aware of the insidious Proposition A, which will be on the November ballot. The proponents are misleading voters with the message that eliminating the earnings tax in St. Louis and Kansas City would produce thriving cities to which businesses and people would flock.

Nothing is further from the truth. In St. Louis the loss of the earnings tax is equivalent to losing the entire police department. Who would want to live in a city that could not afford to provide the most basic services? No one. And what businesses or people would flock there? None.

The proponents claim this ballot issue “lets the voters decide.” False. Voters do not need to vote to decide if an earnings tax should be a revenue option. It already is a revenue option. If passed, Prop A will take away the option of a city, county or other jurisdiction of ever levying an earnings tax even if it wanted one.

Replacing the lost revenue would require, at a minimum, a huge increase in the city sales tax or a tripling of the property tax to make up for the lost earnings tax. So in the end residents can live in a city not able to support itself or pay another tax which would cost them more than what they are paying now and would hurt those least able to pay.

This ballot issue is not whether you support an earnings tax or not, it is whether you want the two largest cities in Missouri to remain viable.

One man, Rex Sinquefield, has paid substantial dollars to fund this campaign. Why?

The only rational thing for us to do is vote no on Prop. A in November.

Sydell Shayer, Creve Coeur