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Increase our awareness of taxes
Read more: Increase our awareness of taxesAs the annual tax season is upon us, we should take a moment to examine our level of awareness of the taxes we pay.
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SB 58 Testimony from Kansas Taxpayers Network
Read more: SB 58 Testimony from Kansas Taxpayers NetworkMore testimony opposing SB 58, the bill to allow Sedgwick County to increase its sales tax to pay for the downtown arena. Testimony Opposing SB 58 By Karl Peterjohn, Executive Director, Kansas Taxpayers Network SB 58 is a flawed bill that should either be re-drafted or defeated in its current form, Let me outline the…
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Legislative Delegation, Saturday February 5, 2005
Read more: Legislative Delegation, Saturday February 5, 2005On Saturday February 5, 2005 I attended the meeting of the local legislative delegation regarding the arena tax. Representative Tom Sawyer chaired the meeting. The audience wrote questions on notecards, and Representative Brenda Landwehr read them. To the best of my recollection, the people allowed to answer questions were Sedgwick County Commissioner Tom Winters, Sedgwick…
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From John Todd: Testimony regarding Senate Bill No. 58
Read more: From John Todd: Testimony regarding Senate Bill No. 58February 3, 2005 Members Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee State Capitol Topeka, Kansas 66612 Subject: Testimony in OPPOSITION TO SENATE BILL #58 (Sales Tax Increase For The Proposed Wichita/Sedgwick County Arena). My name is John Todd. I am a self-employed real estate broker from Wichita, and I come before you in opposition to the enabling…
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Written testimony regarding Senate Bill No. 58 (Wichita downtown arena tax)
Read more: Written testimony regarding Senate Bill No. 58 (Wichita downtown arena tax)I realize that the voters in Sedgwick County voted for the arena sales tax increase. I believe, however, there is ample reason why you should vote against the tax. The idea of the taxpayer-funded arena came about so fast in the summer of 2004 that there was little thought given to the underlying issues. I…
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Abuse Of Tax Funds Must Stop
Read more: Abuse Of Tax Funds Must StopThe following is from the Kansas Taxpayers Network. It shows how government-funded organizations participated in the campaign to increase Sedgwick County taxes. Taxpayers’ funds are being used to promote higher taxes in Kansas. Tax funds are also being used to lobby for higher taxes (see VI. and 1. above). This is an egregious mess that…
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Letter to Kansas Legislators regarding Sedgwick County arena tax
Read more: Letter to Kansas Legislators regarding Sedgwick County arena taxI am writing to express my opposition to the legislature granting Sedgwick County the authority to raise its county-wide sales tax in order to fund the proposed downtown Wichita arena.
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Open letter to Wichita City Council regarding AirTran subsidy
Read more: Open letter to Wichita City Council regarding AirTran subsidyI am writing to express my concern about the upcoming renewal of the subsidy being paid to AirTran Airways. You may recall that I appeared before the Council last May and spoke in opposition to the subsidy. Since then I have learned more about the Fair Fares program.
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Wichita News Media Coverage of Downtown Arena Issue
Read more: Wichita News Media Coverage of Downtown Arena IssueOther people in Wichita’s news business appeared to lack basic factual information about the arena vote. As part of its election night coverage, one prominent Wichita television news anchor interviewed Mr. Karl Peterjohn of the Kansas Taxpayers Network. Mr. Peterjohn mentioned something about how now the story moves to the Kansas Legislature. The news anchor…
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The motivations of politicians
Read more: The motivations of politiciansPresently Mr. Bob Knight of Wichita, a private citizen, is promoting the building of a casino in Park City, Kansas. These articles from The Wichita Eagle have reported Mr. Knight’s position on casino gambling in Kansas when he was the mayor of Wichita:
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Stretching figures strains credibility
Read more: Stretching figures strains credibilityI recently read that the Wichita Airport’s economic impact was estimated at $1.6 billion per year. I thought this seemed high, so I investigated further.
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Let’s Pay for Our Own Health Insurance
Read more: Let’s Pay for Our Own Health InsuranceHaving most people obtain medical insurance, and therefore their healthcare, from their employers is a peculiar tradition that leads to several less-than-optimal situations. I would venture to guess that most employees don’t know the cost of their insurance. They probably pay a portion of the cost through a deduction on their payroll checks and they…