The hearing brought St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay to the Capitol to argue against ending the tax.

“Everybody who pays the earnings tax benefits from the taxes they are paying,” Slay said.

If the tax went away, Slay said, “We’d have to cut everything. It certainly would have to be police and fire. We also have parks, recreation and forestry. There are a lot of services we provide. It would not be an easy thing.”

Kansas City Mayor Sly James said his city and St. Louis are the economic engines of the state.

“Why are you jacking with us when you don’t need to?” he asked members of the panel.

James said the Sinquefield-backed group is already running radio ads in Kansas City.

Along with putting money behind the repeal effort, Sinquefield helped push through a legislative measure in 2010 requiring St. Louis and Kansas City voters to reauthorize the tax every five years.

After giving the tax a thumb’s up in 2011 with 88 percent of the vote, city voters will again decide on April 5 whether to continue the tax. The income tax is placed on all city residents and anyone who works in the city.