Kansas House puts off debate on tax policy until May, after new revenue estimate comes out

Kan. House delay debate on tax policy until May

TOPEKA, Kan. — House members put off a debate Tuesday on Kansas tax policy, saying it’s too early to determine how much more money is needed to fund state government next year.

Democrats and moderate Republicans pushed for the delay, saying forcing votes on raising sales taxes to pay for schools and social services was little more than “gotcha politics” by House conservatives.

“The people of Kansas deserve better than what we are doing today,” said House Assistant Minority Leader Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat.

The vote was 64-57 to delay the debate until May 3, a week after legislators end their traditional spring break and three weeks after the new revenue estimate for 2011 is released.

Republicans said they couldn’t write a responsible budget that didn’t include cuts in education and other programs without knowing how much revenue will be available. Legislative staff are projecting a $467 million gap between anticipated revenues and mandated expenditures for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

“This is not gotcha politics. This is about knowing how much to spend,” said Rep. Peggy Mast, an Emporia Republican. “We are ready to cut, if necessary, down to the bone. I don’t want to postpone this agony any longer than necessary.”

Gov. Mark Parkinson agreed with the decision to put off the debate until after April 16, when economists release the new outlook.

“It would make no sense for the House to vote for a tax increase today,” Parkinson said. “It makes a lot more sense to wait and see exactly what the revenue hole is until we decide what taxes we need to raise, because no one wants to raise more taxes than we need to.”

Parkinson spoke to a crowd of about 1,000 people on the east steps of the Statehouse in favor of raising taxes to prevent further cuts in education funding. They chanted “S-O-S! Save our schools!”

“We’re standing here today to say enough is enough,” said Noah Slay, a third-grade teacher from Berryton Elementary School south of Topeka, who helped organize the event. “We cannot solve this crisis with more cuts.”

The House debate was over a bill that would raise about $170 million by ending sales tax exemptions for churches, veterans groups and utilities.

Critics said the debate was a sham, noting that none of the amendments to restore the exemptions — to all but coin-operated laundries — were offered in the House Tax Committee. The panel heard six days of testimony and sent the bill to the floor for debate without any changes or recommendation for passage.

Chairman Richard Carlson, a St. Marys Republican, defended the process, saying he felt the entire House should consider tax policy, despite his own opinions.

“The tax committee has done its work this year. There probably wasn’t enough support to pass this bill out favorably in the tax committee,” Carlson said. “I think it is wrong to slow down the economy even more.”

Other Republicans said Democrats and moderates had been talking about raising taxes for more than a year to prevent further cuts and now was that chance.

“It is time for you to step up to the plate, not hide behind the motion,” said Rep. Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican. “What are you afraid of? This is a way to run away from that debate.”

Parkinson posted in his blog on Monday that it was time for House Republican leaders to show people their plan to balance the budget.

He added Tuesday during the rally: “We have got a huge battle up here this year, and it’s an important battle. The outcome will define the type of state that we want to be. Do we want to be a state that tears down our schools?”

Associated Press Writer John Hanna contributed to this report.

Sales tax exemptions in HB 2549.

On the Net:

Kansas Legislature: www.kslegislature.org