Many gas and oil companies in Kansas are busy, thanks to a kind of boom in exploration and extraction. Dwight Keen heads the Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association. He says he believes many Kansans think oil and gas exploration companies pay little or no taxes to the state, counties and local governments. Keen says nothing could be further from the truth.
One oil company in Kansas is getting a big tax break. TransCanada, the operator of the Keystone pipeline that has a route through Kansas is paying no property taxes for ten years. The Legislature gave the company the pass on paying taxes and the affected counties have cried foul over millions of dollars in lost revenue.