Rodney Boyd, a lobbyist for the city of St. Louis and Mayor Francis Slay, testified in support of the original bill on behalf of another client, Lyft. Still, Maggie Crane, the spokeswoman for Slay, said the mayor doesn't support the transportation exemptions.

In St. Louis, anyone who lives or works in the city must pay the tax, which has drawn controversy in recent years. Some companies have been able to divert earnings tax payments to pay for office renovations. In 2010, the city diverted half the earnings and payroll taxes paid by the Polsinelli law firm and its employees to fund up to $3.6 million of the office improvements. In 2009, Anthem, then known as Wellpoint, moved 300 jobs into the city in exchange for diversion of up to $4.5 million of earnings and payroll taxes.