http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-876428.mp3
Kansas City, MO – Federal and state law exempt combat pay from income taxes, but nobody at City Hall had ever thought of it until Jim Kissinger, a northland resident, suggested it to Mayor Funkhouser and Councilman Russ Johnson.
Kissinger has a son-in-law, Ryan Paulson, who is serving in Afghanistan with the Missouri National Guard. Funkhouser put together an ordinance, and it became of the quickest measures to pass in recent memory.
The mayor, who was joined by all council members in sponsoring the ordinance, said it allows the city's laws to mirror federal and state laws, and "It's obviously the right thing to do."
Funkhouser said the effect on city revenues would be slight, and well worth the difference it could make to families of men and women making a sacrifice for their country.