The Kansas House has rejected another tax proposal to fill a budget gap. The plan would have raised sales taxes and cancelled some future personal income tax rate cuts. This was the first proposal the House has considered that would have reinstated some income taxes on business owners that were eliminated in 2012.
Republican Representative Kyle Hoffman supported the 2012 tax cut, but said they need to make some adjustments to the bill.
“Let’s not be stubborn, let’s look at the things that were unpredictable at the time. We couldn’t predict everything, so we’re making a course change,” said Hoffman.
Some opponents of the bill said it would hurt the ability for Kansas to attract businesses, including Republican Representative John Whitmer.
"Let's note remove the 'open for business' sign from our state border. There are other ways to fix this budget shortfall," said Whitmer.
Others oppsed the bill because it didn’t make enough changes to the 2012 tax cuts.
The plan failed on a 27-82 vote, well short of the 63 votes needed. Lawmakers will consider additional tax plans later tonight (FRI).