Regardless of what the perennial elected officials and hired guns in Washington, D.C. and the state capitols around the nation say, government finances aren’t that different from either business or household finances.
It’s true, the regulators have worked hard to build up layers of difficulty to protect their well-paid positions, but that can be cut through, as Kansas officials are trying to prove.
The most recent move in that direction is not being made without opposition.
The state’s budget director, Steve Anderson, is working on proposals that would phase out the state income tax, with an eye to improving the business climate and to boosting sales taxes enough to pick up the slack.
Of course there are those who are already throwing up their hands at the suggestion that we would cut any taxes, but Anderson is just getting started.
If we really want to improve the business climate, if we really want to encourage young adults to move back to Kansas to raise their families, then we also need to address the property tax issue. It is just wrong to penalize people — young and old alike — for investing in our communities.
On the other hand, we need to recognize that you get what you pay for.
If we want decent governmental services, we are going to pay. We have to provide some tax revenue to keep government going.
But that is also why it is more important than ever for us to have the right people in elected positions.
Now more than ever, we need local and state leaders who are willing to go in with the sharpest pencils possible to make sure that we are not wasting tax dollars, that we are not just supporting the good old boy system that throws around tax dollars because that is the way we’ve always done it.
Anderson is onto something in this search to cut back on the income taxes and he should be credited for trying something different, not slapped down for daring to question the old-time cash cow.
— Chuck Smith