Building Business News
Volume Volume 17 18 •• NO.7 NO.11
March 2013 November July2012. 2011
www.kchba.org
The Official Newspaper of The Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City
Home Show Ignites at Bartle Hall March 22-24 The original Kansas City Home Show and Flower, Lawn & Garden Show returns in spectacular fashion on March 22- 24 to Bartle Hall. Founded by the Home Builders Association of Kansas City, the Home Show has been a tradition for sixty five years. Bartle Hall will be teaming with hundreds of exhibitors to showcase new opportunities and choices for homeowners to get a jump on spring home and garden projects. Headliner on the Spaces Stage will be Lonni Paul, HGTV Design Star Finalist and designer to celebrities. She is a contributor to the Style Network’s Giuliana & Bill show and designed their Brentwood home. Lonni is known for championing purity, clean lines and a refined modern vision with understated el- Lonni Paul, HGTV Design Star egance. She also created Finalist and designer to celebrities. a break-through infant and children’s furniture collection called PetitNest, that she co-created with style-conscious star Tiffani Amber Thiessen. Lonni will present Celebrity Style Within Reach, a down-to-earth look at how homeowners can take ideas from celebrity design, incorporate them and not break the bank. This event will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 25. Bartle Hall will be teaming with new home products and services, decorating, design and building demonstrations, the latest remodeling ideas, premier landscaping and special attractions. To help set the show on fire, Jennifer Bertrand, HGTV Design Star Winner, will emcee the Spaces Stage. “We are continually looking at ways Continued on page 6 PRSTRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 108 Lawrence, Ks
AN OPEN LETTER TO KANSAS STATE LEGISLATORS March 1, 2013 Kansas State Capitol 300 SW 10th Avenue Topeka, KS 66612 Dear Member of the Kansas State Legislature: As the voice of the housing industry for more than 65 years, we urge you to preserve the mortgage interest deduction (MID) currently being proposed for elimination in H.B. 2059. Today’s economic times are hard enough without completely eliminating a tax provision that is an important part of the family budget. For hundreds of thousands of Kansans, a home is still the biggest investment they will ever make. Changing the rules in the middle of the game is unfair to individuals and families who have made assumptions based on current law. You must put yourselves in the shoes of all your home-owning and prospective home-buying constituents. Should H.B. 2059 become law in the State of Kansas, the approximately 345,000 Kansans who claim the MID will see an immediate tax increase. Furthermore, eliminating the MID would depress home values and reduce consumer confidence. Eliminating the MID would also disproportionately impact young and middle-class families. The benefit of a deduction that reduces the net cost of monthly house payments is particularly important to these families, who typically have less equity, tighter household budgets, and must meet the needs of a growing family. While many allege that the MID only benefits the rich, we know that approximately 65 percent of Kansans who claim the MID earn less than $100,000 per year. Finally, the MID is an important economic driver. The construction of 100 single-family homes generates 300 full-time jobs, and $8.9 million in federal, state, and local tax revenue. Scaling back the MID will shrink the tax base of local communities and cause already cash-strapped local governments to further cut essential services. The path forward is perfectly clear: you must take actions that will continue to stabilize the housing market – not raise taxes on the state’s home owners and depress home values. We urge you to preserve the MID. Sincerely, Fred Delibero, 2013 President The Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City
Fred Delibero, HBA President, has submitted an open letter to Kansas State legislators urging the preservation of the Mortgage Interest Deduction (MID). For information on how to become involved, contact Beatriz Ibarra, VP Government Affairs, bibarra@kchba.org.
Inside this Edition
Economy News
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More Home Show
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