To the editor:
Our local government officials and residents are struggling with the burden of increased property taxes, sales taxes and usage fees because the dominant lobbyists and political bosses who control the legislature reduced income taxes for the wealthiest among us.
Recent news reports on the Barton County 911 system and proposed Great Bend sales tax highlight the funding challenges faced by our local government officials. On these and similar issues, local officials are working hard under the strain of trying to maintain the basic services we have always had. Many local residents rightly question the burden of higher residential property tax payments, local sales tax rates and fees. It can be a worry and hardship for local officials and residents alike. But for our state’s dominant lobbyists and political bosses, it is a reflection of their success.
The dominant lobbyists and political bosses who currently control the legislature essentially operate an unspoken confederation of political compliance. The central effort of this confederation benefits those of us with the most money relative to those of us with less. This benefit is created through income tax cuts that favor the wealthiest among us.
These income tax cuts have largely made the wealth that our society creates in income growth, unavailable to our local governments. These lobbyists and political bosses celebrate their success, as our local government officials struggle.
The spendable growth in our society’s wealth mostly manifests itself in the form of income, not real estate property value. For those of us who can afford higher property taxes, it is not because our homes are worth more. It is because our incomes increased. All taxes, income, property and sales, as well as usage fees, are paid from income.
Overall, our income is increasing. Kansas average income increased 345% since 1990 to $63,550 per person in 2023. And income tax as a share of our state general fund increased from 21.9% in 1990 to 29.8% in 2023.
Income tax revenue finally did its one-third share of support in the long advocated three-legged stool of income, property and sales taxes.
It was the perfect, politically painless opportunity to use that natural income growth to reduce the burden of property taxes. Left alone, the natural growth in income wealth will always reduce the burden of property and sales taxes. But it was not left alone. The dominant lobbyists and political bosses who currently control the legislature ensured that.
In 2024, the legislature passed the near-flat tax bill. It took the income tax revenue growth that should have been used to reduce property taxes, and used it primarily to cut income taxes for the wealthiest. It did very little to reduce property tax burden. And it jeopardized future opportunities to reduce property tax by putting the state into deficit spending. We are burning through our state cash reserve. In 2025, the legislature passed the income tax trigger bill. It created an additional barrier to reducing property tax with income wealth growth. As income wealth and tax revenue grows in the future, it requires income tax rates cuts.
Our local government funding problems are totally fixable. In the past, we have had legislators who voted against the desires and directions of political bosses. That is how the confederation’s earlier effort, the Brownback income tax cut fiscal train wreck, was ended in 2017. Our current legislators are genuinely good people. Unfortunately, they cast the wrong votes. We should elect legislators who will once again vote for constituents. The end of the celebration of dominant lobbyists and political bosses will be the start of celebration for the rest of us.
John Sturn
Ellinwood
