The Topeka Capital-Journal | Tuesday, January 3, 2017 | 7A
THE BROWNBACK YEARS: TAXES
The Topeka Capital-Journal compiled quotes from Gov. Sam Brownback and others reflecting debates in Kansas over taxes, education, the budget and health issues from 2010 to now.
Sept. 23, 2010
Nov. 2, 2010
March 27, 2011
Oct. 11, 2011
Oct. 24, 2011
Dec. 21, 2011
“Senator Brownback has said he wants to change the school finance formula, but has refused to get specific. Senator Brownback uses code words like ‘local control.’ But we know that when Senator Brownback says ‘local control’ what he really means is forcing local property tax increases to make up for massive cuts in state support for our public schools.”
“A clean sweep for a new beginning. No more Obama way. Now, let’s go the Kansas way. We promise an energetic administration.”
“As part of our road map for Kansas to grow the economy, the rural opportunity zone bill is an aggressive policy move targeted to grow our shrinking rural counties.”
“With revenues on the uptick and almost $200 million in the state coffers, I am concerned that Gov. Brownback has announced his intention to eliminate — or significantly reduce — the state income tax. Other states who have followed this path have seen the development of a much more regressive tax structure that includes higher sales and property taxes.”
“The elimination of the state’s income tax gives wage earners an immediate pay raise and encourages economic growth in our state.”
“The states are to be the laboratory for democracy. Why not here and why not us and why not now? We cannot continue on this path and hope we can move forward and win the future. It won’t work. We have to change course, and we’re going to have to be aggressive about it or we are doomed to a slow decline.”
Gov.-elect Sam Brownback, R-Kan., addressing supporters after easily winning election as governor
Gov. Sam Brownback touting a bill providing income-tax breaks to people moving into any of 50 counties suffering years of population decline
Brownback, preparing policy reform designed to turn the farm state of Kansas into a national showcase for virtues of low taxes and limited government
House Minority Leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, on Brownback’s call for reduction in state income taxes
Sen. Tom Holland, a Baldwin City Democrat and candidate for governor against Sen. Sam Brownback
June 19, 2012
May 22, 2012
April 25, 2012
“On taxes, you need to get your overall rates down,and you need to get your social manipulation out of it, in my estimation, to create growth. We’ll see how it works. We’ll have a real live experiment.”
“After the lost decade for jobs in Kansas, Governor Brownback has been incredibly focused on creating a pro-growth environment that will increase Kansas families’ income and accelerate small business growth. With historic tax relief now in place, Kansas is poised to lead America’s economic recovery.”
“If something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. You don’t need an economist to tell you that if you virtually eliminate the income tax then you are going to see a sharp rise in property and sales taxes. Increased property taxes are exactly what Kansans do not need.”
Brownback, describing the 2012 tax law on MSNBC
Ashley McMillan, president of Kansans for No Income Tax, which urged the 2012 Legislature to do away with the state income tax
Nick Jordan, secretary of the Kansas Department of Revenue, on a bill the Brownback administration says will directly create 22,900 new jobs, $2 billion in income and 35,740 new residents
Rochelle Chronister, former Kansas Republican Party chairwoman, on Brownback’s supply-side economic plan to grow the economy
March 23, 2012
March 22, 2012
Jan. 11, 2012
“Three-fourths of Kansas work for small businesses. By taking that income tax off of them, it’s like shooting adrenalin into the heart of growth possibilities. This is a direct shot into it.”
“If Kansas gets rid of the income tax the state will likely find itself both raising other taxes on middle- and low-income families and making massive cuts to vital services that will badly damage the state’s economy.”
Brownback, discussing economic development potential of a state income tax exemption for Kansas business owners
Erica Williams, policy analyst at the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C.
“Let me start by saying — I am bullish on Kansas! We are a state in transition. From a high-tax state — to a low-tax state. From a state struggling to pay our day-to-day bills — to a state with a healthy bank account. From issuing more bonds and borrowing from our kids — to paying down our debt.” Brownback, in his 2012 State of the State speech to the Legislature
July 18, 2012
Jan. 15, 2013
March 16, 2013
Jan. 16, 2014
April 17, 2014
April 17, 2014
“Some have promised these new initiatives will pump adrenaline into the Kansas economy, yet their own projections indicate job gains of a mere 20,000 over the next few years. The Kansas Economic Policy Council has done the math. It will take 550,000 jobs, earning $50,000 each per year, to replace the revenue loss from their newest tax plan.”
“When I started as governor, we had the highest state income tax in the region, now we have the second lowest, and I want us to take it to zero. Look out Texas, here comes Kansas!”
“In addition to being one of the largest tax increases in Kansas’ history, House Bill 2059 also violates the so-called principles of reform that Governor Brownback laid out last year. It actually takes more money out of the pockets of Kansas families that it puts in during the first four years of implementation. And, even more disturbingly, the bill reneges on the promise the Kansas Legislature made to sunset the temporary sales tax when the tax was first passed in 2010.”
“When we took office, we promised Kansans tax relief. Tax rates for all working men and women in Kansas just went down again at the beginning of 2014. Congratulations are in order. We stopped counting on government to create prosperity and put our faith in the people of Kansas. And three years in, we are in a much better position.”
“The economy is improving. We’d all like it to be improving more quickly. If the revenues are higher and the expenditures, we predict, are going to be lower, that’s about as good of news as you can possibly get.”
“Revenue has plummeted since the Brownback experiment began. No matter how this administration tries to sugarcoat it, our Kansas economy remains stagnant.”
Brownback, in the State of the State speech to the 2013 Legislature
Senate President Steve Morris, R-Hugoton, who was defeated in the August 2012 primary
Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, after the Senate passed a tax reform bill
Jon Hummel, the governor’s budget director, commenting about an improved state tax revenue forecast
House Minority Leader Paul Davis, a Lawrence Democrat running for governor against Brownback
Brownback, praising the administration’s tax reforms in the 2014 State of the State speech
Jan. 13, 2015
Nov. 23, 2014
October 2014
Sept. 21, 2014
Sept. 21, 2014
Aug. 6, 2014
“Job creators in Kansas have consistently named taxes as their top concern, and as a result, the Kansas Chamber has consistently supported tax reforms to lower the burden. This poll serves as a reminder to the Legislature and administration that reducing the cost of doing business by lessening the tax burden is a good growth strategy.”
“I think (Brownback) has to lay his cards out on the table and explain to people just how bad things are. I mean he can’t go to the back bench and hide from people. He’s got to own up and take responsibility, because, you know, the sun isn’t really shining like he says it is.”
“We’re in great shape financially. I know there are a number of people yelling differently, but the numbers just don’t support what they’re saying. They’re just trying to paint a ‘Chicken Little sky is falling’ situation, which is not true. It’s a bunch of lies.”
“The promise was that this would lead to a kind of immediate economic boom in the state, and that hasn’t materialized. But it has, of course, had an obvious effect on cutting off revenues coming into the state.”
“If you want your taxes higher, vote for a Democrat governor. If you want lower taxes, vote for a Republican governor.”
“It’s hard to break the addiction to high taxes. It’s hard to do, but we need to do it to create growth.” Brownback, responding to Standard & Poor’s downgrading of the state’s bond rating due to shrinking revenue
Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, on reports the state was facing a tax revenue shortfall of $279 million
Grover Norquist, a supporter of the Brownback administration, touting tax reductions adopted by the Kansas governor
Brownback, dismissing public concern about the state’s finances during a campaign stop in Alma
Mike O’Neal, Kansas Chamber president, commenting on survey showing more than 50 percent believe spending cuts of 10 percent should precede any tax hike
Thomas Frank, author of “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” in rebuttal to Norquist
Jan. 16, 2015
March 15, 2015
May 30, 2015
June 16, 2015
June 24, 2015
Jan. 12, 2016
“Transitioning to consumption taxes allows Kansans more freedom to determine their spending and reinforce the principle that the family budget is more important than the government budget.”
“Changing the rules in the middle of the game isn’t fair. Farmers generally aren’t sitting on piles of cash. Farms are like any small business. They survive on thin margins, and something as simple as a tax increase can make the difference between breaking even and losing money, and if that happens, if the Legislature causes more farms to fail, then Kansas will really be in trouble.”
“Our tax policy is working. The proof of that can be seen in the number of working Kansans, our low unemployment rate and the fact that working Kansans have more money in their pockets to save or spend as they see fit.”
“Every Kansas income group will pay more as a result of this tax increase, but it still doesn’t solve Kansas’ ongoing budget crisis. Kansas is draining over $800 million a year as a result of Governor Brownback’s 2012 tax plan. The tax increase he signed today doesn’t even fill half of that gap. Until lawmakers finally tackle the root problem in a meaningful way, budget crises will be a permanent part of Kansas’ future.”
“Some have suggested that the Legislature is being unfair to local units of government by requiring them to abide by rules the Legislature does not follow itself.”
“Since 1999, when the property tax lid was lifted, Kansans have seen those tax rates increased by 24 percent, and property tax revenue increase by 92 percent. Voters should have the ability to make their voices heard with an up or down vote on any proposal that raises property taxes in excess of inflation. I would welcome legislation that strengthens the property tax lid by closing the existing loopholes and puts it in place sooner.”
Brownback while proposing to triple the state’s sales tax on cigarettes, more than double the state sales tax on liquor and cut a sliver from the bottom bracket income tax rate
July 1, 2016 “Unfortunately, Kansas is a part of a national trend with many states reporting reductions in revenue collections because of a weak economy.” Nick Jordan, secretary of the Kansas Department of Revenue, commenting on the $34 million tax revenue shortfall in June
Dan Murray, state director of National Federation of Independent Businesses, opposing a change in the way of assessing taxes on farmland to raise $70 million to $80 million annually
Brownback on the same day he proposed a bill raising the cigarette tax, raised the sales tax to 6.65 percent and eliminated itemized deductions
Duane Goossen, senior fellow at Kansas Center for Economic Growth
June 16, 2016
May 18, 2016
“I can’t, in good conscience, continue to give our tax money to a government that actively works against the needs of its citizens; a state that is systematically targeting the citizens in most need, denying them critical care and reducing their cost of life as if they’re simply a tax burden that should be ignored.”
“This legislation was introduced and passed unanimously with all Kansas taxpayers in mind. The provisions cover contested sales tax, income tax and property tax disputes.”
Jeff Blackwood, CEO of Pathfinder Health Innovations, criticizing Kansas’ LLC tax break and explaining the move of his office to Missouri
Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce, R-Hutchinson, on adoption of a bill requiring local units of government to submit property tax increases over the rate of inflation to voters for approval.
Mike O’Neal, chief executive officer of the Kansas Chamber, expressing disappointment Brownback vetoed a bill granting taxpayers the right to a district court trial when challenging decisions of the state’s tax appeal board
April 19, 2016 “Let him own it. It’s his policy that put us there.” Rep. Mark Hutton, a Wichita Republican, frustrated that Brownback refused to compromise on modifying state tax law in light of budget realities
Brownback, in his 2016 State of the State speech, calling for early implementation of a local property tax lid March 8, 2016
March 1, 2016
“We must close the LLC loophole. It grows bigger every year, costing Kansas at least a $250 million annually. It continues to make the budget unstable.”
“This is an economic problem, not a tax policy problem. Our tax policy has been instrumental in creating more than 80,000 jobs since we took office and has resulted in a record number of Kansans working. In balancing the budget, I will not support or call for a tax increase on small business in Kansas.”
Sen. Jim Denning, an Overland Park Republican who voted for the 2012 bill granting the state income tax exemption to owners of 330,000 businesses
Brownback, on the latest report showing state tax revenue failed to match expectations
Aug. 2, 2016
Oct. 16, 2016
Oct. 18, 2016
Oct. 23, 2016
Nov. 8, 2016
Dec. 23, 2016
“Too many Kansans still feel that the sun is not rising for them and their families, despite what some leaders tell them. I hear the anger and frustration that those Kansans are expressing. I look forward to working with Republican nominees to offer Kansans a vision for the state that includes a return to fiscally responsible balanced budgeting—something I have long called for, a tax code that is fairer to all Kansans while keeping taxes low, and a focus on the state reforms needed to compete for new jobs and opportunities.”
“The one piece that is working, that we see increases in revenue to the state of Kansas, is personal income tax. That’s the one we cut. That’s the one where we put a pro-growth strategy.”
“There is plenty of myth, rumor and misinformation about the tax plan floating through this election charged atmosphere. Foremost amongst them? The Kansas tax plan is failing.With a growing number of people moving to Kansas, new small business growth, increased money coming into the state, and near record employment levels, where does this tax myth originate?”
“Brownback and his legislative allies cut income taxes in a big swoosh four years ago on the premise that the tax cuts would bring jobs and economic prosperity. Instead, the tax cuts broke the state budget and imperiled education, highways, and key services without delivering the promised economic jolt.”
“The $80 million giveaway has all the hallmarks of bad policy and poor judgment from Kansas’ political class. It’s time to end this taxincentive rodeo and finally pursue a mature economic development policy.”
“My critics, which are many, they only want to look at the budget. They won’t look with any depth or detail at the impact on smallbusiness growth or private-sector job growth.That’s the target, that’s what we’re after.”
Michael Austin, an analyst with the Show-Me Institute, remarking on Brownback’s plan to issue $80 million in taxpayer-backed bonds to bring the American Royal to Kansas City, Kan., from Missouri
Brownback, urging President-elect Donald Trump to take national the supply-side economic approach to tax cuts adopted in Kansas
Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, after voters ousted conservative GOP incumbents in the primary
Brownback, stating that income tax collections were on the rise
Melika Willoughby, spokeswoman for Brownback
Duane Goossen, former budget director to Govs. Bill Graves, Kathleen Sebelius and Mark Parkinson