Voice For Liberty

Tag: Taxation

  • Kansas news digest

    News from alternative media around Kansas for March 5, 2010.

    Teacher Tenure Under Review In Effort to Reduce School Costs

    (State of the State KS) “A House committee heard testimony on a bill Wednesday that would lengthen the period of time public school teachers must work to five years before eligible for tenure.”

    KPERS Committee Considers Early Retirement for Employees To Save Money

    (State of the State KS) “The House KPERS committee considered a bill Tuesday that would encourage early retirement for some government workers to save costs.”

    Kansas Democrats Focus on 2010 Elections at Washington Days

    (State of the State KS) “Kansas Democrats gathered to celebrate and campaign at Friday and Saturday’s Washington Days in Topeka.”

    Smoking ban proponents pull out bag of tricks to get bill passed, casino exemption included

    (Kansas Liberty) “In the near future, Kansas residents will be forced to comply with a statewide smoking ban, which has received the support of both chambers of the Kansas Legislature. Today, the House voted 68-54 to concur with the conference committee agreement reached between select members of the House and the Senate.”

    Day-care bill puts too much government in the home, opponents say

    (Kansas Liberty) “Tammi Hill, owner of the Peace of Mind Home Child Care Center in Olathe, has been brought to tears of frustration over a new piece of legislation which is currently in the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee. Senate Bill 447 would create several new restrictions for day care providers, including regulations on how long children can take using the bathroom, how long a provider can speak with a parent, and how long a provider can spend with any inspector that may drop by the ensure the care center is in compliance with regulations.”

    Cigarette tax increases reported to bring negative outcomes

    (Kansas Liberty) “Americans for Prosperity-Kansas has launched a new web page dedicated to informing Kansas residents about how an increased cigarette tax could cost the state revenue, instead of bringing in additional revenue as suggested by the Democrats.”

    Wichita School Board Attempts to Explain Budget, Seeks Priorities

    (Kansas Watchdog) “About 400 people attended a Board Night Out at Wichita’s West High School Monday evening. A similar number attended another forum at Wichita’s Southeast High School. USD259 Wichita Board of Education President Barbara Fuller, board member Lanora Nolan and Superintendent John Allison attended the West High gathering and offered their assessments of the decisions facing the district because of the ongoing state budget crisis.”

    Tiahrt, Others Exonerated in Ethics Probe

    (Kansas Watchdog) “The Associated Press is reporting that Kansas Congressman Todd Tiahrt has been exonerated in an ethics probe of his connections with defense lobbying firm PMA and its clients. The probe found no violations by Tiahrt or five other members of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. The late John Murtha (D-Pa.) topped the list of who received large donations from PMA Group and its clients and steered earmarks to PMA clients.”

    Kansas revenues sag deeper into crisis territory

    (Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – February’s $71 million tax collection shortfall dropped Kansas revenues for the month deeper into budget crisis territory, legislative researchers reported Thursday.”

    Kansas’ bid for federal school money rejected

    (Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas’ first round application for a slice of $4.35 billion in new federal education stimulus money has been rejected, but education officials say they plan to try again in a second round next June. The Kansas State Department of Education said it learned Thursday that it is not among 16 finalists selected to receive grants under the Obama administration’s Race to the Top plan for educational reform.”

    Kansas tax committee sends $169 million increase to House

    (Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas House Taxation Committee members reluctantly voted Tuesday to raise $169 million in new taxes by requiring homeowners and renters to a pay 5.3 percent sales tax on their water, electric and natural gas bills that are now tax-exempt.”

    Costly Kansas tax credit needs more money, panel told

    (Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – A controversial business tax credit once flagged as a drain on Kansas’ budget needs more money to help create jobs in Kansas, backers told a Kansas House Taxation committee Wednesday. Opponents, however, argued that removing a state lid on Kansas Historical Preservation tax credits, which last year were lopped by more than half their previous levels, would perpetuate the inefficient use of taxpayer money and give the recipients an unfair advantage over competitors who aren’t similarly subsidized.”

    Foster care system criticized, defended

    (Kansas Health Institute News Service) “Sadie Carpenter said no one ever told her why she and her husband weren’t allowed to adopt their great granddaughter. Marilyn Dilley said she and her husband were never told why they couldn’t adopt a boy they’d cared for as foster parents.”

  • Kansas historic preservation tax credits should not be expanded

    Testimony to be delivered to the Kansas House Taxation Committee.

    The Kansas historic preservation tax credit system should not be expanded beyond its current limit.

    We must recognize that a tax credit is an appropriation of Kansans’ money made through the tax system. If the legislature is not comfortable with writing a developer a check for over $1,000,000 — as in the case with one Wichita developer — it should not make a roundabout contribution through the tax system that has the same economic impact on the state’s finances.

    While I would not recommend writing checks to developers, this practice would be more efficient than the current system of subsidy through the tax system. Last month the Legislative Division of Post Audit (audit 10PA03.1) found that the system is not efficient: “Our review showed that, on average, when Historic Preservation Credits were transferred to generate money for a project, they only generated 85 cents for the project for every dollar of potential tax revenue the State gave up.”

    Furthermore, the Department of Revenue has not been tracking the tax credits accurately, significantly under-reporting the cost of the program to the legislature. The audit found that “Finding problems like these in a relatively small sample raises questions about the integrity of the Department’s tax credit information.”

    The confusing nature of tax credits leads citizens to believe that they have no cost to the state. A leader of an economic development group in Wichita recently asked questions of me that lead me to conclude that he did not understand the economic effect of tax credits.

    The program often ends up being welfare for the wealthy. In Wichita the tax credits have been used to renovate a building with condos selling for $300,000 to $950,000. A current case would have a developer in Wichita receive over $1,000,000 for rehabbing apartments that will rent for $1,000 to $2,000. Perhaps $3 million to $4 million will go to the developer of a hotel in downtown Wichita.

    We should recognize that living or working in a historic building is a premium amenity that one chooses, just like one might choose granite countertops in their kitchen. We shouldn’t expect others to pay for these voluntary choices.

    In Wichita, many of the projects where historic preservation tax credits are sought are already receiving other forms of subsidy, such as TIF financing and property tax abatements.

    Some have said that the tax credits put people to work on projects. I would suggest that when Kansans keep their own money — instead of subsidizing wealthy developers — they spend or invest it in ways that they feel best advances their position in life. This too is economic activity that creates jobs.

    I have more material about this issue at my website “Voice For Liberty in Wichita” at WichitaLiberty.org. Along the top, click on “Search” and search for historic tax credits for more information. Or, please contact me by email or telephone and I will send you articles.

  • AFP-Kansas launches website about tobacco taxes

    Following is a press release from Americans for Prosperity, Kansas chapter.

    TOPEKA, KAN. – The Kansas chapter of the grassroots group Americans for Prosperity is working to educate Kansans on the effects of tobacco tax increases on Kansas businesses by creating a new Web site, StopTheWarOnSmokers.Com.

    Gov. Mark Parkinson last month proposed a cigarette tax increase of 55 cents per pack, raising the rate from its current 79 cents per pack to $1.34 per pack.

    “History has shown us that raising the cigarette tax has not increased the revenues coming into the state over the long run,” said AFP-Kansas state director Derrick Sontag. “There may be an initial boost, but with nearby states like Missouri only adding a 17-cent tax per pack, more Kansas smokers are likely to cross the state line to purchase cigarettes.

    “This means Kansas retailers are losing out on those sales, as well as the sales of other items smokers may purchase when buying tobacco products.”

    Economist Patrick Fleenor of Fiscal Economics has prepared a study, “Masters of Tax Avoidance: Kansans and the Cigarette Excise, 1927-2009,” which outlines the state’s history of taxes on tobacco. It illustrates the problems the state runs into when taxes are raised too high on items such as cigarettes, and the lengths to which citizens will go to avoid paying that additional tax.

    “In looking at our state’s history with cigarette taxes, it is apparent raising these taxes does not serve as a deterrent from smoking,” Sontag said. “It also makes little sense to try to raise revenues from cigarettes when just yesterday the Kansas Legislature approved a ban on smoking in public places.

    “Additionally, we know the revenues have dwindled not long after the cigarette taxes increased in the past, so it’s simply unwise for our state government to depend on such an unreliable revenue stream.”

    For more information on Kansas cigarette/tobacco taxes, or to read Fleenor’s study, visit www.stopthewaronsmokers.com.

  • Importance of economic freedom explained in Wichita

    Yesterday Robert Lawson appeared in Wichita to deliver a lecture titled “Economic Freedom and the Wealth and Health of Nations.” The lecture explained how Lawson and his colleagues calculate the annual “Economic Freedom of the World” index, which ranks most of the countries of the world in how the “policies and institutions of countries are supportive of economic freedom.” The conclusion is that economic freedom is a vital component of well-being, income, health, and both personal and political freedom.

    Robert LawsonRobert Lawson

    The Economic Freedom of the World annual report is available in its entirety at FreeTheWorld.com.

    Lawson started his lecture by noting two methods of organizing an economy. There’s the way of Adam Smith, in which liberty, private property, and free trade are paramount, and government is to have a limited role. The other way is that of Karl Marx, where society would be planned and controlled by a central authority according to a national strategy.

    Lawson said he became interested in measuring freedom as a way to investigate the truth of the claims of Smith and Marx. By collecting data about economic freedom, we could learn more about which system — economic freedom or planned economies — works best.

    Lawson defined economic freedom as consisting of free markets, private property and personal choice; freedom to trade both within a country and foreign trade; freedom to enter markets; and security of property and the rule of law. He said that there is a role for government in this system to protect property rights and provide basic infrastructure, but the role of government is limited.

    Measuring economic freedom is complex and multidimensional. Data comes from 141 countries using 42 components that are grouped into five broad areas: size of government, including expenditures, taxes, and enterprises; legal structure and security of property rights; access to sound money; freedom to trade internationally; and regulation of credit, labor, and business. Ratings are on a scale from zero to ten, with ten representing the most freedom.

    Some of the components of the ranking are based on objective data, while some are subjective, perhaps from a survey. Lawson said that the report and book detail the methodology used in creating the index.

    The result is that Hong Kong ranks as most economically free country. Singapore is second, which Lawson said poses a problem. Singapore is economically free, but it is not politically liberal in terms of civil liberties. There is a strong positive relationship between political freedom and economic freedom, but there are exceptions like Singapore.

    The United States ranks sixth. Sweden is ranked fortieth, which is still in the upper quartile of countries. Lawson said that while Sweden has a reputation as a welfare state, the U.S. and Sweden are not all that different. Taxes in Sweden are about 50 perfect higher than ours, and Sweden has many more labor regulations, but otherwise the countries are similar.

    The big differences in the world, Lawson said, are between countries like the U.S. and countries like Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

    China is ranked eighty-second, below the midpoint. Lawson said that China is a problem to rank, having Shanghai which is relatively free, and then outer provinces which are still tightly controlled and repressive.

    Russia ranks eighty-third, right below China. Some of the former Soviet republics like Estonia are doing well, but the Ukraine has made little progress towards freedom.

    India ranks eighty-sixth. It is not an economically free county, but is more free now than in the past, Lawson said.

    To show how economic freedom impacts the lives of people, Lawson used a series of charts that showed the impact of economic freedom on various measures.

    Economic freedom is very important in determining the incomes of people. The countries in the highest-ranking quartile of the economic freedom index have a per-capita income of $32,443. For countries in the lowest quartile the income is only $3,802. Economic growth rates are higher in the freer countries, too, although the difference is not as great as with income.

    Lawson said that a frequent criticism of free economies is income inequality. He showed a chart presenting the share of income earned by the poorest ten percent in each country, grouped by quartile. There is very little difference between the groups. “It doesn’t really matter what kind of economic system you have — free market or not — it does not correlate in any way with income inequality. It’s simply not true that market economies, in general, are more unequal.”

    A follow-up, Lawson said, is that if you are poor, where do you want to be? The answer is in the economically free countries. The per-capita income of the poorest ten percent in the least economically free countries is $896, while in the most economically free it is $9,105.

    Life expectancy is also positively correlated with economic freedom, ranging from 59.40 years in the least-free countries to 79.12 in the most-free countries.

    Is there a relationship between economic systems and the environment? Lawson showed a chart showing that the free countries do better in a measure of environmental performance.

    Lawson said that political rights and civil liberties are also strongly associated with economic freedom, the example of Singapore notwithstanding. India is another exception, being a fairly liberal democracy but ranking low in economic freedom.

    Speaking about the United States, Lawson said that the numbers are likely to go down in the future. While the U.S. ranks above the world average, its measurement of freedom has been declining since 2000. At the same time, the rest of the world is on an upward trend. “It’s no longer accurate to say the United States is among the very top tier in the economic freedom index,” Lawson said, adding that he blames George Bush for this. The decline is partly due to the increasing size of government, but the largest cause of the decline is in the area of property rights. This area is measured largely by surveys asking people how they feel about property rights in America. The perception, Lawson, said, is that the security of property rights are on the decline.

    A question from the audience asked about reliance on foreign aid. Lawson replied that the economic freedom index methodology doesn’t include foreign aid. But there has been research done using the index and foreign aid, which concluded that countries get more foreign aid when they do worse on the index. Furthermore, after receiving more foreign aid, countries do worse in the index.

    A question about the cost of living in countries was answered by the use of purchasing power parity.

    Responding to a question about deficits, Lawson said that the size of government deficits doesn’t enter into the index calculations. The amount of government spending is part of the index, however. Lawson said that Milton Friedman argued that it wasn’t very important to freedom whether the government runs deficits. The size of government spending is important, Friedman said, with the method of financing the spending much less important.

    A question revealed that health care doesn’t play a part in the index calculations, as the composition of spending is not a factor. If the U.S. government decides to spend more on health care, its rating will probably decline, as government spending is in the index.

    A question asked how it can be that China and India are growing very rapidly, but still rank low in the index. Lawson answered that it’s the change or increase in the index that has been important for these two countries. There has been great change in both countries. “It takes only a tiny bit of relaxation to see a flourishing of growth in both China and India.” He added that both countries need to continue their reforms in order to maintain their rates of economic growth.

    Lawson added that regulation, not taxation, is the biggest threat to prosperity and economic freedom in America.

    Lawson’s lecture was sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and underwritten by The Fred C. and Mary R. Koch Foundation.

  • Your Kansas Tax Dollars: Efficient, Effective & Targeted?

    Following is a press release concerning an event of interest this Saturday in Arkansas City.

    Arkansas City (February 16, 2010) – “In any economy, but especially our current economy, the use of tax dollars is an issue every Kansas taxpayer should be interested and involved in. As we visit with citizens, we’re finding they do not truly understand how their state tax dollars are spent. Unfortunately this makes it difficult for them to participate in the discussion over how to solve our state’s fiscal crisis, and we certainly want and need their input. We are excited about the opportunity to have a broad public dialogue regarding use of tax dollars,” said Steve Abrams and Kasha Kelley, 32nd District Senator and 79th District Representative respectively.
    (more…)

  • Kansas sales tax exemptions don’t hold all the advertised allure

    Advocates of eliminating sales tax exemptions in Kansas point to the great amount of revenue that could be raised if Kansas eliminated these exemptions, estimated at some $4.2 billion per year. Analysis of the nature of the exemptions and the amounts of money involved, however, leads us to realize that the additional tax revenue that could be raised is much less than spending advocates claim, unless Kansas was to adopt a severely uncompetitive, and in some cases, unproductive tax policy.

    Tax exemption policy is an important economic policy matter. A recently-released study by the Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit is titled Kansas Tax Revenues, Part II: Reviewing Sales Tax Exemptions. In its background discussion, the report noted “the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion that tax exemptions and tax deductibility are a form of subsidy that is administered through the tax system. A tax exemption has much the same effect as a cash grant to the organization of the amount of tax it would have to pay on its income.”

    Sometimes these tax exemptions are issued to specific organizations. Others are issued to organizations that fall within certain categories. In this case, the exemption is like an entitlement, granted to any organization that falls within the scope of definition of the exemption. Some exemptions are for categories of business activity that shouldn’t be taxed.

    It’s this last category that is important, because of the large amount of economic activity that falls within its scope. An example is exemption 79-3606 (m), described as “Ingredient/Component parts: Of items manufactured or produced for sale at retail.” The audit report estimates that for 2009, this exemption cost the state $2,248.1 million in lost sales tax revenue.

    But this exemption isn’t really an “exemption,” at least if the sales tax is a retail sales tax designed to be levied as the final tax on consumption. That’s because these goods aren’t being sold at retail. They’re sold to manufacturers who use them as inputs to products that, when finished, will be sold at retail. Most states don’t tax this type of sales. If Kansas decided to tax these transactions, it would place our state’s manufacturers at a severe disadvantage compared to almost all other states.

    There are two other exemptions that fall in this category of inputs to production processes, totaling an estimated $461 million in lost revenue.

    Another big-dollar exemption is “items already taxed” such as motor fuel. This is an estimated $232.5 loss in revenue. Two other categories of exemptions are purchases made by government, or purchase made by contractors on behalf of government. Together these account for an estimated $449.9 million in lost revenue. If these two exemptions were eliminated, the government would be taxing itself.

    All told, these six exemptions account for $3,391.5 million of the total $4,234.2 million in exemptions for 2009. That’s about 80%.

    So $4.2 billion has shrunk to $842.7 million. That’s still a lot of money, but not near as much as spending advocates would like to have Kansans believe is lying in wait just for the taking.

  • Kansas news digest

    News from alternative media around Kansas for February 22, 2010.

    Proponents of bill want to force ‘charity’

    (Kansas Liberty) “Kansas hospitals say they have been stepping up to the plate and helping individuals with their health bills, but left-wing organizations say the goodwill assistance needs to be required by law.”

    Senate kills attempt to abolish death penalty

    (Kansas Liberty) “The Kansas Senate deliberated today for several hours on whether to repeal the state’s death penalty. Much of the debate focused on how legislators’ religion played into their decision to either support or oppose the legislation and whether the families of victims sought the death penalty for offenders.”

    Unelected SOS to make crucial appointment in 2010

    (Kansas Liberty) “Because of the timing of former Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh’s resignation, the person Gov. Mark Parkinson appoints to replace Thornburgh will have the ability to make an appointment of his own, in addition to serving on the state’s three-member canvassing board.”

    Kansas Senator Tom Holland Announces Democratic Bid For Governor

    (State of the State KS) “Kansas Senator Tom Holland (D) announced his bid to become the next Governor of Kansas on Wednesday.”

    Water Conservation Raises Concern of Stockpiling for Financial Gain

    (State of the State KS) “A water conservation effort raised concerns over hording of water for financial gain when other businesses around the state could put the water to use.”

    Tea Party Activists Vet Candidates at Winter Rally

    (State of the State KS) “Republican and Libertarian candidates campaign for votes with Tea Party activists on Saturday in Wichita.”

    Texting ban passes Senate

    (Kansas Health Institute News Service) “TOPEKA – The Kansas Senate has approved a ban on sending text messages and e-mails while driving. The Senate approved Senate Bill 351 by a margin of 34-6 after making the penalty for a first-time offense a $100 fine. Use of a hands-free cellular telephone while driving would not be an offense and e-mailing or texting would be allowed in emergencies.”

    Child welfare hearings rescheduled

    (Kansas Health Institute News Service) “TOPEKA – Blame it on the blizzard. The chairman of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee said he had to reschedule a series of hearings on child welfare issues because he couldn’t reach the featured speakers, both of whom work in Washington, D.C.”

    Bankers see bleak job prospects for Kansans

    (Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – Prospects for Kansas’ and the Midwest’s struggling economies took a turn for the worse in February on bleaker jobs prospsects, according to a monthly survey of bank executives. The Rural Mainstreet Index, an economic barometer for small town economies in 11 Midwestern states, dropped to 36.6 in February from 41.1 in January, primarily because of an expected drop in new job opportunities, reports Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, one of the creators of of the monthly survey.”

    Kansas needs stronger plan for tax breaks, audit finds

    (Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas needs a stronger system for determining when to grant tax breaks to a wide variety of charities, public service groups, business development organizations and others, say two state audits released Wednesday.”

    Audit: Redrawing court districts would save millions

    (Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – Crunching Kansas’ 31 state judicial districts into 13 potentially would save the state about $6.2 million annually, legislative auditors told the Kansas House Appropriations Committee Tuesday.”

    Smoking Ban Advocate Says Some Claims Just Smoke

    (Kansas Watchdog) “Opponents to a statewide total smoking ban say anti-tobacco advocates are playing a little loose with their facts. They have an unlikely ally in Michael Siegel, a medical doctor and professor of community health sciences at Boston University’s School of Public Health. He’s a long-standing anti-tobacco advocate, a proponent of smoking bans and a strong critic of bad science.”

    Schools for Fair Funding Proceeds with Lawsuit; Permits No-notice Meetings

    (Kansas Watchdog) “NEWTON – Schools for Fair Funding (SFFF) voted today to proceed with a lawsuit seeking an increase in state education funding. Today’s meeting was the first since the Kansas Supreme Court’s rejection last week of the group’s petition to reopen the Montoy case mandating increased funding for K-12 public education. The group also made several changes to its bylaws, including one that allows an expanded board of directors to hold unannounced meetings.”

    Kansas Supreme Court Justice asks Ethics Commission for opinion

    (Kansas Watchdog) “TOPEKA – On Wednesday Kansas Supreme Court Justice Carol Beier asked the Ethics Commission whether the retention election for the position of Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court was governed by the Kansas Campaign Finance Act. One member of the commission commented about the irony of a Supreme Court justice asking for an opinion in a legal matter.”

    Government payrolls show continuing, long-term growth as private sector jobs decline

    (Kansas Watchdog) “Kansas continues to lose private sector jobs as it adds more taxpayer-funded government jobs, a trend mirrored at the national level. The private sector lost 57,900 jobs between December 2007 and December 2009 while government added 3,200 jobs in Kansas according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Local government grew the most over the two years, adding 2,000 jobs for a total of 182,900 jobs in the state, followed closely by the federal government which added 1,900 jobs for a total of 26,000. State government jobs decreased by 700 to 53,100 jobs.”

  • Kansas historic preservation tax credits audit reveals inefficiency, data problems

    Yesterday the Kansas Legislative Post Audit Committee received an audit recently completed by the Legislative Division of Post Audit. The audit, titled Kansas Tax Revenues, Part I: Reviewing Tax Credits, revealed that the historic preservation tax credit program is not efficient. Further, the Department of Revenue is not accurately tracking the cost of the program.

    Historic preservation tax credits provide funds to those who wish to renovate qualified historic buildings. Last year the legislature placed a cap on the dollar amount of credits that could be issued, and that caused some developers in Wichita to complain that their projects were no longer economically feasible. The city has made expansion of the amount of available credits a legislative priority. Wichita Governmental Affairs Director Dale Goter (in plain language, the city’s lobbyist) was present at the committee hearing, as was I.

    In the audit, the historic preservation tax credit is identified as a program that the legislature may want to re-evaluate. In this case, the program is significantly more expensive than originally planned. The fiscal note that accompanied the tax credit legislation when passed in 2001 and revised in 2002 estimated an annual cost of $1 million. In 2007, the actual reported cost was $8.5 million.

    The audit also finds that the historic preservation credit is not cost-effective:

    The Historic Preservation Tax Credit isn’t cost-effective. That credit works differently than the other three because the amount of money a historic preservation project receives from the credit is dependent upon the amount of money it’s sold for. Our review showed that, on average, when Historic Preservation Credits were transferred to generate money for a project, they only generated 85 cents for the project for every dollar of potential tax revenue the State gave up.

    The audit also found that there were data recording problems at the Kansas Department of Revenue regarding the tax credits. The audit found that some tax credits weren’t recorded in a tracking database, even though the credit had already been claimed on a tax return. Over a five-year period, about $6 million in tax credits was under-reported by the Department of Revenue. This is the information that lawmakers had concerning the cost and performance of the tax credit program.

    The audit noted “The Department doesn’t have sufficient computer controls to ensure that its database entries are accurate. … Finding problems like these in a relatively small sample raises questions about the integrity of the Department’s tax credit information.”

  • Kansas news digest

    News from alternative media around Kansas for February 16, 2010.

    Supreme Court denies motion to reopen Montoy case

    (Kansas Liberty) “The Kansas Supreme Court decided today that it would not be reopening the Montoy school funding case. … Reopening the Montoy case would have saved the districts a significant amount of time and money.”

    Committee considers school consolidation

    (Kansas Liberty) “Small district complains that community economically relies on schools, Representative says towns should not solely rely on taxpayer dollars to function.”

    Groups launch government transparency Web page

    (Kansas Liberty) “Americans for Prosperity and the Kansas Policy Institute have teamed up to provide an online transparency tool that will allow Kansas residents to see exactly how the government uses their taxpayer dollars.”

    Joe the Plumber Campaigns For 4th Dist. Candidate Jim Anderson

    (State of the State KS) “Joe ‘The Plumber’ Wurzelbacher talks about his role in the 2008 Presidential election and why he is endorsing 4th Congressional District candidate Jim Anderson (R).”

    Senate Education Debates Catastrophic Aid For School Districts

    (State of the State KS) “The Senate Education Committee debated changes to catastrophic aid for school districts after claims jumped to $12 million in 2009 and are estimated to be $47 million this year.”

    Rep. Jim Ward Discusses Education Funding and Budget Solutions

    (State of the State KS) “Rep. Jim Ward (D) talks about budget options. He is the House Assistant Minority Leader.”

    House panel rejects proposed tax-break moratorium

    (Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas House Taxation committee members rejected a state panel’s recommended three-year moratorium on new sales, property and other tax exemptions.”

    Sales tax plan hurts low income Kansans, critics say

    (Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – A Kansas panel’s proposal to streamline sales tax exemptions in the state would hurt many of the state’s most fragile citizens, critics told state legislators.”

    Supreme Court denies schools’ bid to reopen funding suit

    (Kansas Reporter) “TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas’ Supreme Court Friday rejected a request by 74 Kansas schools to reopen a landmark school financing case and allow the schools to seek a reversal of recent state school funding cuts.”

    House committee rejects moratorium on tax credits or exemptions

    (Kansas Health Institute news service) “TOPEKA – The House Taxation Committee concluded hearings Tuesday on a bill that would repeal sales tax exemptions for non-profits and charities and eliminate the state exemption on the sale of residential utilities.”

    People who lost state-funded social services tell their stories

    (Kansas Health Institute news service) “TOPEKA – Daniel Perez is a single parent. His 18-year-old son, Danny, is severely autistic. When left alone, Danny will spend hours crinkling cellophane. ‘It’s what he likes to do,’ his father said.”

    Government payrolls show continuing, long-term growth as private sector jobs decline

    (Kansas Watchdog) “Kansas continues to lose private sector jobs as it adds more taxpayer-funded government jobs, a trend mirrored at the national level. The private sector lost 57,900 jobs between December 2007 and December 2009 while government added 3,200 jobs in Kansas according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).”

    Fuzzy “Facts” vs Freedom in Smoking Ban Debate

    (Kansas Watchdog) “There’s almost no debate that smoking is unhealthy, but there’s plenty of debate about whether and how to implement a statewide ban on smoking in public to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke. Interested citizens, lobbyists and speakers filled the Health and Human Services hearing room in the Docking building Wednesday.”

    LPA School Consolidation Audit Points the Way for Savings

    (Kansas Watchdog) “Monday’s Legislative Post Audit school consolidation report found the state could save as much as $138 million per year by consolidating smaller school districts. … Several district superintendents filed objections to the report, most citing a desire for local control of consolidation decisions and a desire to avoid the challenges of working with other districts. LPA auditors stated, ‘None of the issues they raised prohibit consolidation.’”