For Immediate Release:
April 25, 2023
Contact:
Cassie Nichols
[email protected]
Governor Kelly Calls for $450 Tax Rebate to Kansas Resident Taxpayers:
Here's What They're Saying
TOPEKA – Governor Kelly announced yesterday her proposal to spend Kansas’ one-time budget surplus on a tax rebate of $450 for individuals and $900 for married taxpayers filing jointly.
The proposal for a one-time tax rebate provides relief to all Kansas resident taxpayers without breaking the bank or jeopardizing funds for our public schools.
Providing a rebate would put Kansas well within the mainstream of other state efforts to offer tax relief. In 2022, states including Florida, Indiana, and Idaho offered tax rebates.
Here's what they're saying:
"The Governor’s proposals to provide income tax rebates and accelerate the food tax cut are far more prudent and fiscally sustainable than the ongoing fiscal hit associated with the Brownback 2.0 flat tax scheme that benefits the wealthiest among us. Maintaining adequate future funding for Kansas schools, infrastructure and social services would be increasingly difficult were the state to launch into another round of permanent and poorly targeted tax cuts. We have seen this movie before - and it does not end well."
- Chris Courtwright,
Member of Governor Kelly’s Council on Tax Reform
"I strongly endorse the Governor’s proposal to provide a one-time rebate to Kansas taxpayers. This proposal puts refunds in the hands of Kansas taxpayers at a time when higher prices have eroded spending power. At the same time, this rebate is fiscally responsible given the high amount of uncertainty about the Kansas economy and the potential for a recession this year. Governor Kelly continues to lead the state with common-sense fiscal policy that benefits all Kansans, and does not permanently disrupt Kansas’ well-balanced tax structure."
- Dr. Donna Ginther,
Director of the Institute for Policy and Social Research, University of Kansas
"This much-needed, reasonable approach not only returns a significant amount of money to every Kansas household, it also heads off the Republican legislature's foolish pursuit of a flat tax scheme that will only saddle our future generations with more Brownback-sized budget deficits. Hats off to Governor Kelly for once again proposing sensible tax policies that benefit all Kansans."
- Senator Tom Holland, District 3
"A one-time tax rebate is a sustainable, responsible way to immediately return funds to Kansas taxpayers. By using existing budget surpluses which is are due, in part, to one-time federal funding that will not be available going forward, we will avoid creating budget deficits in future years that would endanger critical state services. I look forward to partnering with the legislature on providing this immediate relief to Kansans."
- Adam Proffitt,
Budget Director and Secretary of Administration
"It’s no secret that our public schools were shortchanged under the Brownback administration’s failed tax experiment. Under Governor Kelly’s responsible management of the state budget, we have been able to dig ourselves out of the ditch and pay off state debt to make valuable investments in our future. We can’t allow history to repeat itself. Governor Kelly’s one-time tax rebate is a responsible way to put money back in the pockets of all Kansans."
- Duane Goossen,
Former Budget Director and Secretary of Administration
"Access to food, whether it’s because of affordability or location, is a struggle for many Kansas families. Governor Kelly’s one-time tax rebate is the most sustainable option to ensure all Kansans have immediate economic relief that can make food and other necessities easier to afford."
- David Jordan,
President and CEO, United Methodist Health Ministry Fund
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