JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Special Committee on Government Oversight heard testimony on Wednesday from Director of Revenue, Joel Walters, on a 15-year-old miscalculation in the state’s tax table and how it is going to impact Missouri taxpayers.

People making less than $60,000 are going to feel the impact of the error. A married couple with two kids and a combined income of $60,000 would owe the state around $200 this tax season. Last year they got a refund of about $200.

Rep. Peter Merideth (D-District 80) said this is the new normal.

“I think for this tax season we’re in a lot of trouble because there are a whole lot of taxpayers that budget for that refund that they’re going to get every year or at the very least they do not expect a bill,” he said.

Rep. Robert Ross (R-District 142) said the department should have communicated the effect of this error to taxpayers.

“There’s been, not even a minimal effort, by the department to explain this to the taxpayers. That’s what I’m most frustrated about and I want to make sure taxpayers know potentially what could be coming by this April surprise,” he said.

Walters stressed that each taxpayer files differently, so it’s difficult to generalize examples.

Republican Rep. Nick Schroer (District 107) said his constituents are going to be surprised when they file their tax returns.

Information from the Missouri School of Journalism contributed to this report.