JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon says a proposed sales tax increase is “neither a fair nor a fiscally responsible” solution to pay for transportation needs.

State lawmakers approved a three-quarters-of-a-cent sales tax increase for transportation. It would require voter approval, and Nixon last month referred it to the August ballot. The ballot measure says the tax is projected to raise $534 million annually for 10 years starting in 2015.

On Monday, Nixon criticized the tax proposal and said it would fall disproportionately on working families and seniors. He contrasted it with other tax cuts passed by the 2014 Legislature, including several sales tax breaks that Nixon estimates could cost state and local governments $776 million.