Missouri bill would allow residents to donate to anti-abortion centers instead of paying state taxes

Missouri has introduced a bill to incentivize donating to anti-abortion centers with a 100% tax credit.

For those unfamiliar with Missouri, it has already long incentivized donating to anti-abortion and pro-life centers. In 2019, it successfully passed legislation offering a whopping 70% tax credit for donations to “pregnancy resource centers.” By “pregnancy resource centers,” it means centers that “do not perform, induce, or refer women for abortions.” Interestingly, the tax credit stood even after abortion became illegal in Missouri following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. As a result, residents were able to fund anti-abortion Missouri-based groups like Coalition Life to the point they could afford to travel to states where abortion was legal and harass abortion centers and patients. Before 2019, the tax credit was capped at 50%. The expansion from 50% to 70% already cost the state heavily, leaving taxpayers concerned that their money was going toward fighting abortion in other states.

However, recently, Missouri residents made their voices heard when they voted to include abortion rights in the state constitution. Naturally, Republicans in the state aren’t coping well and have responded by proposing bills to re-ban abortions, monitor pregnant women, and expand the tax credit for pro-life donations to 100%.

Missouri wants to expand anti-abortion donation tax credits even further

Rep. Christopher Warwick recently introduced HB 1176, which would significantly expand the existing tax credit for donations to pro-life centers. It stipulates, “For all tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, a taxpayer shall be allowed to claim a tax credit against the taxpayer’s state tax liability in an amount equal to one hundred percent of the amount such taxpayer contributed to a pregnancy resource center.” The tax credit will be capped at $50,000 per year per taxpayer. This means that all but the wealthiest of Missouri residents could completely satisfy their state tax bill by simply putting their payment toward anti-abortion centers.

As mentioned above, a 70% tax credit was already excessive. A 100% tax credit for anything is rare and is bound to be costly to taxpayers. Along with his bill, Warwick provided an estimate of the cost to the state, suggesting it wouldn’t be significant. However, the cost he estimated only accounts for if donations remain relatively unchanged and the tax credit merely jumps from 70% to 100%. It doesn’t anticipate the probable increase in donations that would arise from this new incentive.

The tax credit would hurt the state more than just financially, though. It essentially redirects taxpayers’ dollars that would’ve gone towards funding things like education and healthcare centers to instead go strictly to groups like Coalition Life, which generally don’t do much good aside from trying to dissuade women from having abortions. The state wants to take money away from causes that would benefit all taxpayers to fund lawmakers’ personal anti-abortion agenda. Given that other charitable causes offer smaller or no tax credits, it also encourages people to prioritize these donations above all others. Not to mention, the bill goes directly against constituents’ wishes. They made it clear when they voted to enshrine abortion rights in the constitution that Warwick’s proposed tax expansion doesn’t represent them. Sadly, lawmakers have responded by reiterating that they don’t represent the majority of Missouri residents and are only looking out for their personal agendas.