government spending Archives - Kansas Policy Institute

Three Signs of Kansas Government Growth 0
- Tax & Spending
- July 11, 2019
How much government is too much for Kansas? Three straight years of income tax increases are sending the state budget to another historical high. However, three signs suggest that bigger is not always better. Three signs; jobs, personal income, and purchases, that link government growth to a stagnant Kansas economy. The legislature approved, and the
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“Hope” Leads to Work & Opportunity 0
- Tax & Spending
- June 24, 2019
Taxpayer-funded programs that combat poverty should operate in ways that create a pathway to economic independence. As such, welfare reforms, like the Hope Act and other efforts, truly benefitted low-income Kansans by encouraging work and lowering poverty rates. Increasing handouts, in contrast, trapped more Kansans into government dependency, stifling their potential success and self-reliance. Kansas
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Record State Budgets From Off-Target Economic Predictions 0
- Tax & Spending
- June 13, 2019
When it comes to making predictions, they say that the only good thing about economic forecasters is that they make the TV weathermen look good. Kansas’s economic and tax revenue forecasters, known as the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group or CRE are no different, and they have a history of missing their estimates. As a result,
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Kansas Taxpayers Left With $1.4 Billion Deficit Despite Governor’s Veto 0
- Tax & Spending
- May 17, 2019
Those saying the current trajectory of state spending won’t lead to a deficit or tax increase aren’t being honest. A new profile prepared by the Kansas Legislative Research Department (KLRD) shows the state budget creates a $1.4 billion deficit over the next four years. This happens regardless of Governor Kelly’s veto of the tax windfall bill. Another
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Kansas Has Nation’s Highest Rural Property Tax: 2019 Green Book 0
- Tax & Spending
- May 10, 2019
Some of Kansas’s low economic performance may be tied to the fact that property taxes are growing too fast. In fact, 65 KS counties saw triple-digit property tax growth despite their populations shrinking. The Lincoln Land Institute found that Iola, KS has the highest rural property tax rate in the nation. By contrast, there is
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Coincidence or Preparation? Kansans Cut Shopping Equal to Vetoed Tax Windfall 0
- Tax & Spending
- April 15, 2019
Governor Kelly vetoed the tax windfall bill, raising Kansans’ income taxes to the tune of $50 million. Near the same time, the latest state tax report shows Kansans decreasing shopping by $40 million. Is this just a coincidence, or are Kansans preparing to pay for higher taxes again? It’s possible Kansas’s fiscal troubles and sluggish growth
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