© 2024 KMUW
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Supporters, Opponents Continue To Tout, Deride Tax Cut

Supporters and opponents of tax-cutting legislation continue to talk about the plan, even going on the road to do it.

Members of the governor’s administration toured the state last month, and some Democrats are making stops this week. The cut will reduce personal income tax rates and completely eliminate income taxes for around 200,000 businesses in Kansas.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and his administration have been touting the bill. They say the tax cut will speed economic growth and balancing the budget will not require cutting critical state services. Brownback argued the merits of the plan during a speech at the University of Kansas last month.

“This gets us into a new Kansas, where we’re trusting the people of Kansas with these dollars, rather than putting them in government hands and trusting that the people will create jobs and opportunities better than the government will create jobs and opportunities with this amount of money,” said Brownback.

Some opponents of the plan say it won’t create enough growth to offset the loss of tax revenue. Former Democratic Governor John Carlin spoke about it during an event in Salina Thursday. He says the tax changes could lead to cuts to education and other services.

“That doesn’t mean you just throw money at everything, but it means you gotta give thoughtful considering to the investments you need to make in education and infrastructure to feel comfortable that we’re doing what’s right for the future.”

The tax cut will take effect January 1.