NASHVILLE — A proposed amendment to the Tennessee Constitution that would ban general state income and payroll taxes was read on the state Senate floor today.
The reading marks the first step in what proponents hope will ultimately prove to be a successful four-year effort.
The state constitution already says a general income tax is not allowed in Tennessee. But amendment sponsor Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, has pointed to past legislative efforts to pass a state income tax and uncertainty as to how a modern state Supreme Court would act.
Sen. Kelsey has noted that tough economic times may spur lawmakers to try do so again.
Sen. Joe Haynes, D-Nashville, recently called the resolution “pandering.”