Posted on 10/22/2014 2:17:30 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
WICHITA, Kansas — Everyone in Kansas will tell you the same metaphor to explain the state's tax policy.
It's their own take on President Ronald Reagan's three-legged stool, specified for tax policy. The three legs: Income tax, sales tax, and property tax. If all three remain relatively even — if each is about 33% of the puzzle — the stool is balanced.
The theory is that as long as the stool is balanced, the tax burden on Kansans will remain remarkably steady for a long period of time.
It's relatively fair across income groups, and Kansans who support the policy argue it has allowed the state to maintain and improve upon the basic services of state government. The state has good roads and highways. It has good schools. It has a good public-safety system.
"But if you start to saw off one of the legs ..." starts Wint Winter, a former Republican state senator.
That's what opponents of Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican, argue he has done. He has slashed income taxes on small businesses to zero. But property taxes are going up, and the state's sales tax may go up again.
"The stool," said Christy Levings, a Democrat running for a seat in Kansas' 6th House District, "is falling."
Brownback's detractors argue the stool is falling because of a self-described "experiment" throughout the governor's first term in office.
The policies are something straight out of dream playbook of the more conservative side of the Republican Party. With help from a legislative body he helped attain, Kansas passed the largest income-tax cuts in state history. Medicaid has been handed over to private companies. Other measures have made it harder to get an abortion in the state.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
His problem may be that he tilted openly toward business, and that that “take taxes off business” stuff isn’t playing too well post-TARP. And it shouldn’t, not when it’s disguised corpo-couponcutter moneygrubbing. “Tax them, not me.”
Brownback is exemplary and the bloat that he is eradicating should be eradicated. Toughen up Kansas!
He cut taxes and as a result the government collected less revenue. Sounds like a win to me.
Says who?? I have never heard any real conservative advocate cutting some taxes and raising other taxes to "compensate". Real conservatives think taxes should be cut, period. Not replaced.
That’s why I’m personally in favor of a simple flat-rate income tax, no credits, no exemptions, no write-offs, no exceptions.
Correct.
“He cut taxes and as a result the government collected less revenue. Sounds like a win to me.”
well the problem is you have to cut spending too. You can’t just cut taxes and not address the bloated government spending.
“...I have never heard any real conservative advocate cutting some taxes and raising other taxes to “compensate”....”
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Two things: First, Business Insider’s writers/editors are mostly leftists and are anything BUT pro-business or conservative. So, be careful that you separate the facts from the progressive propaganda in BI’s articles.
What taxes did Brownback raise exactly? You do realize that, in Kansas at least, a county’s proper tax rate is set by the individual counties and not by the state.
Brownback’s only apparent “crime” is that he upset and outsmarted the RINO/DemocRAT alliance in Kansas. Time to purge a few more of the Kansas RINOs posing as conservatives.
” That’s why I’m personally in favor of a simple flat-rate income tax, no credits, no exemptions, no write-offs, no exceptions.”
The politicians would just keep raising the rate, like they did to Ronald Reagan.
” Brownback’s only apparent “crime” is that he upset and outsmarted the RINO/DemocRAT alliance in Kansas. Time to purge a few more of the Kansas RINOs posing as conservatives.”
WINNER!!
I don't see why it couldn't be done via the States either — as the article says KS has property-tax, income-tax, and sales-tax all.
I think it would be better to go with a single taxation scheme, say sales-tax — just so long as the tax is applied uniformly.
True enough, but I don’t put small businesses in the same category as the global monstrosities which get the majority of perks and make the most use of loopholes and cronyism.
Except less revenue meant cuts in school spending. Tends to piss off the soccer moms. As revenue continues to decrease the cuts to education will continue since Kansas has to balance its budget.
Sales taxes and state property taxes.
You do realize that, in Kansas at least, a county’s proper tax rate is set by the individual counties and not by the state.
There is a state property tax applied on the assessed value of the house.
BI is clearly a liberal rag.
RE:Brownback is exemplary and the bloat that he is eradicating should be eradicated. Toughen up Kansas!
Unfortunately, you also have to cut spending, that’s what people DO NOT like.
Yeah, but it shouldn't. Lower taxes means more soccer moms will be able to afford private or homeschool alternatives to the government school hell-holes. Besides, when did more spending ever lead to better schools? Spending per student adjusted for inflation has quadrupled in recent decades and the schools are just as crappy as ever. Government monopolies are crappy no matter how much money you throw at them.
A major problem with that is that it's a rural state. Most of the smaller towns don't have a private school alternative.
Besides, when did more spending ever lead to better schools?
When did cutting funding lead to better schools?
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