The Kansas House is set to vote today on a bill that would repeal a controversial tax exemption. That tax policy has allowed more than 300,000 business owners to avoid paying state income taxes.
Republican Rep. Mark Hutton is among the lawmakers who want to amend the business tax cut.
“It’s time to have the conversation, time to have the vote. Let’s put it to bed. There are a lot of people who think we need to change this. Let’s give them that opportunity to vote to do that,” Hutton says.
Republican Rep. Stephanie Clayton has reservations about the bill because it won’t close the budget gap in the short or long term.
“It doesn’t balance our budget and my constituents want that problem fixed. We need to look at that now,” Clayton says.
The bill would also lower the sales tax on groceries. It is expected to have the support of some Democrats, but others want a more comprehensive overhaul of the tax cuts passed in recent years. The governor and some conservative legislators have also opposed a tax increase to balance the budget.
