Dear Editor,
So, Republicans are supposedly the party of lower taxes? Here are their proposals in Topeka:
SB178-Raises taxes on farm land by about $15.75 an acre, repeals sales tax exemption on farm machinery and equipment ($73 million increase), and repeals sales tax exemption on utility bills ($183 million increase)
SB 223 & HB 2306-Increases tobacco tax from .79 to $2,29 per pack and alcohol tax from 8% to 12% ($212 million increase in 2 years)
SB 258-Repeals $20,000 home value exemption for calculating 20 mil state wide school funding levy- ($40 million tax increase)
SB 234-Reduces home mortgage tax deduction and eliminates planned income tax cuts for 2017 & 2018
SB 251-Reduces Earned Income Tax Credit from 17% to 8% (This groups taxes were increased in 2012 by the Governor)
Unless you are among the wealthiest 1% of Kansans whose state income tax was reduced or you are among 191,000 businesses who pay no state income tax at all, you are looking at huge tax increases. This is a shift of tax liability to the working class, the largest in the history of Kansas. The experiment has failed, Governor!
Kenneth L. Riffel
Chairman, Dickinson County Democratic Party, Hope