The Star-Herald: Lawmakers Should Pursue Fairness, Not Partisan Hype, in Plans for Tax Reform

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said the bottom 20 percent of Kansas taxpayers saw their tax burden increase while the wealthiest Kansans saw their taxes decrease. With special-interest PAC money pouring into Kansas state government races, the Legislature doubled down, proposing another round of tax cuts that would eliminate income taxes and maintain a high sales tax — raising real taxes on the poorest Kansans by 2.5 percent. Even after spending cuts for schools, colleges, libraries and social services, Kansas now faces a huge shortfall in income tax receipts and an estimated revenue shortfall for next fiscal year of $648 million. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback last week shuffled $279 million in fund transfers and cuts and says, “All options are on the table” to deal with the red ink.

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