government spending Archives - Kansas Policy Institute

Kelly’s budget raises taxes during recession 0
- Featured
- January 14, 2021
President Obama once publicly admitted that it is a bad idea to raise taxes in the middle of a recession. And yet, under an unprecedented COVID economic downturn, Gov. Kelly’s budget has not one, but two tax increases. These tax hikes financed a record-setting state budget, 29% bigger than in 2017. By contrast, the Governor
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Comparing County Budgets to Address Shortfalls, Drive Efficiency, and Spur Opportunity 0
- Tax & Spending Research
- January 12, 2021
The public health and economic impacts of COVID-19 have severely affected county budgets. The pandemic has intensified an on-going storm; counties are losing populations, some areas have the highest effective property tax rates in the nation, and now, most county governments have budget shortfalls. But make no mistake – this is not evidence of a
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A Kansas Budget for Economic Growth & COVID Protection 0
- Tax & Spending
- January 4, 2021
Kansas government is at a crossroads. One path leads to economic malaise, and an ever-increasing budget financed on the backs of those living paycheck to paycheck. Another path leads to a self-sustaining economy, where every tax dollar spent is knowingly tied to a public benefit. As Kansas lawmakers await and consider Governor Laura Kelly’s tax
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Legislature could turn incoming fiscal shortfall into savings 0
- Tax & Spending
- November 18, 2020
This month, state forecasters and legislative researchers announced a $119 million budget shortfall by the end of the fiscal year 2022. However, they failed to mention that closing the budget shortfall would leave the state with a zero-ending balance with no room for error. Come January 2021, Kansas policymakers have an opportunity to turn this
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$Reversing years of Kansas fiscal mismanagement$
Reversing years of Kansas fiscal mismanagement 0
- Tax & Spending
- November 9, 2020
It is needed now more than ever for the Kansas government to adjust its budget like many Kansas families and businesses are doing today. Kansans painfully adapted to life during the pandemic, but governments around the state have done little to no belt-tightening. With the state 2020 election behind us, Kansans must acknowledge that the
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Federal bailouts of state budgets hasten fiscal disaster 0
- Tax & Spending
- September 16, 2020
Early this month, Governor Kelly testified to Congress, asking for federal bailouts of Kansas’ billion-dollar budget shortfall. However, bailing out Kansas’s budget shortfall cements poor fiscal management, puts Kansans at financial risk, and hastens a federal fiscal disaster. According to the Kansas Legislative Research Department, Kansas went from an ending balance of $1.1 billion in
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