Posted on 06/09/2015 10:40:42 AM PDT by Bubba Ho-Tep
TOPEKA, Kan. - The Kansas Senate passed Sunday what would be the largest tax increase in the history of the state of Kansas.
The measure passed by a 21-17 margin. Kansas Sen. Julia Lynn, who represents Johnson County, Kan., was the deciding vote on the bill.
Details on the $471 million tax increase:
The sales tax increases to 6.55 percent from 6.15 percent. The cigarette tax will go up by 50 cents each pack, bringing the total tax to $1.29. The food tax will drop on July 1, 2016. However, it will be 6.55 percent until that time. Most itemized deductions on state income taxes are repealed. Reduced deductions for property taxes, charitable contributions and mortgage interest. There's a property tax lid for cities and counties. A new school voucher program that will provide tax credits to those who donate funds for private and religious schools. $24 million on taxes for business owners. The Kansas House will vote on the bill Monday.
They would rather eat their own young than restore the taxes they cut.
Not as well as they'd hoped. Otherwise they wouldn't be looking to fill another hole in the budget, a $400 million plus hole in this case.
I heard that the proposals include a 16 cent gas tax increase. Gas taxes are already 7 or 8 cents a gallon cheaper in Missouri so that'll do nothing but make the line at our pumps longer.
Trust whom?
Yes, Kansas, as in the people, is doing very well. The govt, however, has reached the point of hard choices. The Senate bill will not pass. School funding has been increased but already taken to KS Supreme Court. Court knows if it doesn’t uphold legislature’s appropriation that whole school funding package will be on the chopping block. Media reporting it as a crisis when, inn fact, we just finally have about 30 R’s who can’t be intimidated into caving to raising taxes.
Well the idea was that cutting the business and the income taxes would cause companies to flood into Kansas and all those extra jobs would mean that revenues would remain the same. Didn't quite work out that way. I think the legislature there has been faced with deficits every year since the cuts were passed. And they're having to cut things that their base likes - road improvements, state police, things like that.
Exactly, there is just way too many statist thinking people in America these days that government is the end all and must be fed, first and foremost. This country is trillions and trillions of dollars in the hole just trying to keep up with this charade. It is insane what our politicians, the media, and the liberal culture is doing to this country.
We the people will have to try to get government back in line, even if it means cutting popular programs or a market correction will one day, unfortunately, do it for us.
CGato
Perhaps. For me this is not better. Maybe it is better for someone, but not me.
The drama queens come out when you try to cut spending. Even when you are just reducing the increase. It is so ridiculous. And the liberals in the media back them up.
I'm just a bystander in all this but my sister and her family live in Kansas and they're concerned about the schools. They're kind of stuck. Even if they wanted to increase funding for their schools through local taxes the aren't allowed to since they're limited as to the amount of funding they can provide.
The schools already get something like $15,000 per student. What is there to worry about? They never think they have enough money. They get an increase every year. This year there was a reduction in the amount of the increase. It is insane. For that amount you could provide private tutors of the kids. The money is mishandled.
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