government spending Archives - Kansas Policy Institute

Gov. Kelly’s 2020 budget: Five things you should know 0
- Tax & Spending
- January 20, 2020
Governor Kelly had an opportunity to exhibit fiscal restraint when presenting her budget last week. With state tax revenues coming in higher than expected – partly because of recent record tax hikes – the Kelly Administration missed a chance to build a structurally-balanced budget. Instead, this budget breaks a new record in spending for the
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Property tax hikes are proof of an honesty gap 0
- Featured
- January 13, 2020
City and county officials often want Kansas homeowners and businesses to believe that they’ve “held the line” on property taxes. However, Kansans soon realize local officials spoke only of mill rates. Kansans’ property taxes continue to climb as local officials raise property valuations while not adjusting mill rates. The difference between that mill rate growth
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County economies among the slowest in the nation 0
- Tax & Spending
- December 30, 2019
Like students receiving their semester report cards, counties in the U.S. recently received a similar assessment on their economic performance. Unfortunately, rather than being near the top, eight out of the ten most populous Kansas counties are among the slowest growing economies in the nation. In reviewing official estimates, it seems counties with higher rates
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Kansas economy ranks 49th as government grows 0
- Tax & Spending
- November 26, 2019
Within the last year, Kansas has set a record budget, financed it with record tax hikes, and vowed to increase spending to even higher levels. Some think such a policy encourages economic success. However, the latest economic snapshots reveal the opposite; that ballooning government is crowding out private sector growth. The adjacent table summarizes the Bureau
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Latest Medicaid expansion plan riddled with red flags & a “scam.”0
- Tax & Spending
- October 28, 2019
The latest Medicaid expansion plan has too many red flags without even getting to the program itself. Like other states, Kansas is unlikely to have the federal government approve the partial expansion. Yet if approved, it risks the solvency of national Medicaid, encourages tobacco smuggling and worsens the state budget. Policymakers should heed these signs and
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Kansas deficit-spends into a billion dollar hole 0
- Tax & Spending
- October 10, 2019
The first Kansas legislative session has passed. To finance a record-setting budget, Governor Kelly has consented to both an income tax and sales tax increase. However, the latest information from the Kansas Division of the Budget says it’s not enough. The government is in a hole; for every dollar Kansas deficit spends, another dollar families
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