Kansas GOP considers wrong tax options as prolonged session continues

Kansas lawmakers on Thursday laid out preliminary plans to collect up to $2 billion in higher taxes and other revenue over the next five years.

The responses are needed to deal with the fiscal crisis created by Gov. Sam Brownback’s failed tax-cut experiment of 2012, as the Legislature tries to plug a large budget gap.

What’s on the table Friday?

Legislators unfortunately are headed toward boosting the current 6.15 percent sales tax, perhaps to as high as 6.65 percent.

Also, already modest ideas on how to help low- and middle-income taxpayers are in danger of being scaled back. A tax break for the poor may be put off for two years, while even a minor reduction in the sales tax on food might be defeated.

What appears off the table? A far better way to generate revenue: Significantly roll back or end the law that allows thousands of businesses to pay nothing in income taxes. Brownback’s threat to veto such a move has cowed the Legislature.

Still, one positive idea did emerge Thursday to halt Brownback’s “march to zero” for the state income tax rate. That’s appropriate. The state can’t afford further decreases — at least without devastating cuts to education and social services funding.

Soon enough, the Republican-controlled Legislature is going to have to swallow hard and pass excessively higher taxes on 3 million Kansans, partly because the lawmakers won’t reverse unfair tax breaks for businesses.

This story was originally published June 4, 2015 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Kansas GOP considers wrong tax options as prolonged session continues."