Judge tosses most of St. Louis earnings tax lawsuit in early win for city
ST. LOUIS — A judge on Monday dismissed most of a lawsuit seeking city earnings tax refunds for people who began working remotely during the pandemic.
The ruling by St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Christopher McGraugh hands a first-round victory to the city in a case affecting a major tax revenue source. More than one-third of the city’s general revenue comes from the 1% earnings tax charged to city residents and nonresidents who work in the city, or about $180 million in 2020.
The majority of that is paid by nonresidents who work at St. Louis-based employers — and the pandemic kept many of those employees working from home for months or more. In the past, the St. Louis Collector of Revenue has allowed those who travel outside of the city on business to file for refunds of taxes for days when they’re traveling or working at company locations beyond the city limits.
Attorneys Mark Milton and Bevis Schock filed suit against the city and the collector in March, alleging the city collector’s office, worried over the millions in revenue at stake because of the pandemic, stopped its past practice of paying refunds to people who worked remotely.
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/judge-tosses-most-of-st-louis-earnings-tax-lawsuit-in-early-win-for-city/article_b57e590d-228a-5163-91c5-c96b105f5a4d.html