Tag: Taxation
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Just Say It: We Need to Raise Taxes in Kansas
Rhonda Holman’s Wichita Eagle editorial today (State budget pain must be shared) makes the case for raising Kansas taxes without directly saying so. It’s actually quite artful the way she dodges actually saying what she wants Kansas legislators to do. Using language like “Nobody ever wants to raise taxes …” and “Lawmakers also must not…
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Broad-based Economic Development Will Work Best for Kansas
Alan Cobb of Americans For Prosperity — Kansas argues that instead of micro-management of economic development efforts, Kansas should aim for a businesses climate that’s good for everyone. See Yes, but it?s only $1.3 billion. We should heed this advice locally in Wichita.
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United States Government Spending (dot com)
I recently discovered usgovernmentspending.com. It seems like a great place to get data not only for the federal government, but for the states, too.
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In Kansas, Tax Increases Loom
As Kansas confronts a disastrous budget, the danger of tax increases is large. As reported by David Klepper in Shortfall means painful budget cuts for Kansas, “Because of declining tax revenue, Kansas faces a $1 billion deficit in next year’s budget, on top of a more than $140 million shortfall in the current budget year.”…
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Kansas highway spending has not boosted economy
Who isn’t in favor of good streets and highways? Don’t we need roads, highways, and bridges so that our economy can function? The problem with most studies that pump up the benefit of government spending is that they omit something very important: the cost of these projects, and who pays. A solution that I favor…
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Wichita School Bond Issue: It’s not the $42.55, it’s the $1,927
Twelve cents per day for the owner of a $100,000 home is the mantra of supporters when it comes to selling the cost of the proposed USD 259 $370 million school bond issue to district taxpayers. That amount equates to about $42.55 per year or $3.55 per month in additional taxes. Who could oppose such…
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Kansas can’t afford a cigarette tax hike
The Kansas Health Policy Authority’s recommendation to use a 75-cent cigarette tax increase to pay for health costs should be worrisome — not only to smokers, but also to non-smokers and fiscally responsible legislators as well. The approach may seem appealing at first, but such tax increases are notoriously unpredictable and regressive. Funding a high-profile…
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Karl Peterjohn is Sorely Needed in Sedgwick County
Wichita business leaders support Karl Peterjohn. The recent opposition by certain Wichita aircraft executives to Karl Peterjohn — a well-respected and strong candidate for Sedgwick County Commission in District 3 — is ill-informed. Peterjohn, an economist by training, has long been an advocate for fiscal prudence and has fought, on behalf of the Kansas taxpayer,…
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Raising Wichitans’ Taxes in a Recession is Not A Good Idea
“Democrat Barack Obama says he would delay rescinding President Bush’s tax cuts on wealthy Americans if he becomes the next president and the economy is in a recession, suggesting such an increase would further hurt the economy.” (Associated Press, September 7, 2008) Contrary to assertions by Wichita school interim superintendent Martin Libhart and school board…
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How are Tim Norton and Marcey Gregory For Low Taxes in Sedgwick County?
Richard Taylor, President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of South Central Kansas, in a news story stated “Marcy Gregory and Tim Norton are for low taxes and they are for jobs and people.” I don’t know where Mr. Taylor learned about these two candidates, but stating that both are for low taxes must…
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What Ray Frederick Forgot to Include about Marcey Gregory
Editor’s note: the original version of this article contained an error in arithmetic, which has been corrected. In Sunday’s Wichita Eagle, Wichita businessman Ray Frederick wrote a letter supporting Marcey Gregory for the Sedgwick County Commission. In listing her qualifications, he wrote “Gregory is for low taxes.” That doesn’t square with Gregory’s recent actions. On…
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Is There Anyone Left to Pay Taxes?
The Tax Foundation reports that soon nearly half of the tax returns filed will owe no federal income tax, according to the economic plans of John McCain and Barack Obama. In its analysis Both Candidates’ Tax Plans Will Reduce Millions of Taxpayers’ Liability to Zero (or Less), the Tax Foundation reports that McCain’s announced tax…