State Rep. Nile Dillmore, D-Wichita, tried to deduct $75,000 from Gov. Sam Brownback’s office budget – the amount the state paid economist Arthur Laffer (in photo) to consult on Brownback’s tax-reform plan. The House Government Budget Committee approved the move Monday. But after Brownback staff complained, the committee later revoted and returned the funding. On Wednesday, Dillmore tried unsuccessfully to deduct Laffer’s fee from the budget of the Kansas Department of Revenue. Dillmore thinks there was no need to hire an out-of-state consultant. When Laffer appeared before a legislative committee last month, he spent much of the time promoting his upcoming book. It would have been a lot cheaper to buy the book instead of pay for Laffer’s trip, Dillmore said.
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