WFPL: Kentucky Tax System Unbalanced On Backs of the Poor
media mentionBy Kenny Colston
A new report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy shows a big gap between Kentucky’s income levels on who pays taxes.
The report says Kentucky’s top 1 percent income bracket pays roughly 5 percent of the state’s income, while the bottom 20 percent pays 9 percent.
Middle income levels are saddled with a higher percent, the report said.
Jason Bailey, director of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, says the numbers show tax reform needs to happen quickly in Kentucky to better balance the burdens.
“This is one of the big issues that tax reform needs to address, the issue of the fairness of the tax system and the fact that there is inequity in who pays,” he said.
Lawmakers are likely to put off taking up recommendations by the state’s latest tax reform commission until a special session later this year.