Contact: Rep. Lance Kinzer (785) 296-7663
Rep. Mary Pilcher Cook (785) 296-7667
Rep. Anthony Brown (785) 296-7632

Governor’s Plan is Fool’s Gold

TOPEKA – Denouncing the plan passed by the House of Republicans last night designed by Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Johnson County House Conservative Republicans stated the plan would hurt Johnson County schools and taxpayers.

“This plan by the governor is fool’s gold,” said Rep. Mary Pilcher Cook (R-Shawnee). “Where will the money come from, except from Johnson County taxpayers, whom already pay an extraordinarily high amount of money for education throughout the rest of the state? By voting for this plan, those supporting it have made claims that will cause the state to be panning for gold that does not exist in any Kansas streams.”

“Today the House of Representatives passed out a school finance plan totaling $560 million in new spending,” said Rep. Arlen Siegfried (R-Olathe). “This action will put great stress on the Kansas economy and result in future tax increases. Note carefully the representatives who voted for HB2986. It will be the responsibility of those legislators to vote for the tax increases necessary to support this fiscally irresponsible plan.”

In fiscal year 2007 the K-12 funding plan would produce a deficit of $147 million and in fiscal year 2008 a negative $419.3 million. To increase the school district local effort by $560 million through property taxes, a 24 mill levy increase would be necessary and would result in a mill levy of 44. That would equate to an annual property tax increase of $276 on residential property valued at $100,000.

“The amount of tax increase we are talking about would shrivel the state’s economy and cause a sharp decrease of revenue in later years,” said Pilcher Cook. “That puts funding of our schools in jeopardy for the future.”

Another method that could be used to produce revenue of $560 million would be to increase sales taxes by 2.0 percent, which would give Kansas a state sales tax of 7.3 percent.

“I am troubled with the current appetite by the portion of the legislature controlled by the governor,” said Rep. Anthony Brown (R-Eudora). “The unprecedented amount of money combined with no additional accountability is irresponsible.”

An individual income tax surtax of 21.9 percent would also be another alternative to raise $560 million. For a family of four taking the standard deduction with $75,000 income would equate to an annual increase of $641 in taxes.

“No matter how you cut it, under this plan Johnson County sends more than three dollars to Topeka for every one dollar we get back,” said Rep. Lance Kinzer (R-Olathe). “It is important to remember that the money proposed in this plan is on top of more than $290 million in new money from last year and $75 million more approved earlier this session.”