Tax & Spending

Reports of Budget Surplus Ignore Imbalance 0
- Tax & Spending
- November 15, 2018
The State of Kansas is heading towards a cliff despite reports of budget surplus and campaign rhetoric. State budget analysts show Kansas deficit spending next year, and empty reserves by 2022. This is due to current levels of spending outpacing tax revenues. Something will have to give as the legislature and incoming governor decide how
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After Record Spending Vow, State Estimators Wager Robust Income Tax Growth 0
- Tax & Spending
- November 9, 2018
The Consensus Revenue Estimating Group made their November predictions of the income and spending activity of Kansas families and businesses. They believed Kansas families will see incomes grow by a ludicrously high 6.5 percent rate or $216 million on top of what they already guessed for fiscal year 2019. Whether Kansans can support this growth
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Taxing Online Sales Isn’t A Kansas Windfall 0
- Tax & Spending
- November 2, 2018
In the heat of campaign season Kansans have heard it’s good to tax X and not Y, or we should spend taxpayer dollars on A and not B. Coincidentally under all of this debate comes the Wayfair Decision handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court. The court ruled that states have the authority to tax
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October 2018 Report Shows Trend of Sales Tax Struggling 0
- Tax & Spending
- November 1, 2018
October 2018 taxes exceeded expectations for the fiscal year, tracking around 5 percentage points higher. Income tax is up and is the largest contributor to total tax collections being over estimates and last year. Sales tax is struggling again in October; the largest drag to total tax collection growth. You can see the tables below
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Kansas Ranked 15th in Economic Freedom 0
- Tax & Spending
- October 30, 2018
Out of all 50 states, Kansas ranked 15th in economic freedom in 2016. The Economic Freedom of North America 2018, published by the Fraser Institute, measures individual states supportive of economic freedom. Kansas tied for 19th in all of North America. The most economically free state is Florida, while the least economically free state is
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Gambling with Taxpayers’ Paychecks, Consensus Revenue Estimating Needs Reform 0
- Tax & Spending
- October 25, 2018
Many are unaware that Kansas state government participates in its own lottery. However, the difference between this type of government gamble and buying a MegaMillions ticket is that if the state makes the wrong bet, the taxpayer could end up living paycheck to paycheck. Referred to is the Consensus Revenue Estimating group or CRE, a
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