TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas lawmakers are looking for a compromise on how much to cut taxes. The Republican-led House will vote on a bill this week that’s closer to what Democratic Governor Laura Kelly wants than to the package of tax-cut measures passed earlier by the GOP-dominated Senate.
The Senate bills would reduce state tax revenue by nearly $3 billion over the next three years. The cuts in the House bill come to a about $1.3 billion in lost revenue over the next three years. Both the Senate and House bills would replace the state’s three income tax brackets with a flat tax, but the single rate in the House measure is slightly higher.
Republicans on the House Tax Committee say their tax-cut bill is based on what the state can afford. Hoping to get bipartisan support, House Republicans included some of the governor’s proposals in the bill. For example, the measure would expedite the end of the sales tax on groceries, eliminating it entirely this July instead of in January 2025.
