Senator Les Donovan (left, R-Wichita) and Senator Tom Holland (D-Baldwin City) listen during the tax hearing. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)A Kansas Senate committee has started the first legislative hearings on Governor Sam Brownback’s tax plan. The proposal would cut income tax rates, but balance the budget by eliminating some deductions and keeping the sales tax elevated. Secretary of Revenue Nick Jordan told the committee the cut would help grow the economy.
The Brownback administration has pointed to other states where income taxes were cut and the economy grew. But Senator Tom Holland, a Democrat from Baldwin City, said some of those other states have economic resources that Kansas doesn’t have. He pointed to Florida, with its large tourism industry. Holland said cutting income taxes isn't what drives the economy.
Hearings on the bill will continue tomorrow (WED).