Gov. Sam Brownback said that the reason he pushed for reducing income taxes was that it had the most potential to spur economic activity. And he focused on eliminating income taxes on partnerships, sole proprietorships and other businesses because most Kansans work for businesses with 10 or fewer employees. “We took a narrow slice within that because of your key economic growth being small businesses,” he told Associated Press. Brownback said he would have liked to reduce property taxes or eliminate any marriage penalty in the income-tax code but that those reductions were unlikely to result in as much economic growth. As to why he signed a tax bill that is projected to result in large budget deficits, Brownback said he didn’t want the state to stay on the same track it has been on. “It’s better to get to a different track,” he said. Critics contend the new track shifts more of the tax burden to poor and working-class families and is unlikely to produce enough revenue growth to cover the budget shortfalls.
Gov. Sam Brownback isn’t the only one who has hosted meetings for legislative committees. Lawmakers told investigators that “lobbyists have long hosted similar events and conducted similar Q&A sessions with legislative committees,” according to a report by the Shawnee County District Attorneys Office. The investigators concluded that there were technical violations of the Kansas Open Meetings Act at the Brownback gathering earlier this year but declined to take action, other than recommend better training.
At least one group defended U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Overland Park, for his naked swim in the Sea of Galilee. The American Association for Nude Recreation said in a statement last week that Yoder’s only mistake was “picking a spot to go skinny-dipping that is illegal under Israeli law.” The group said that Yoder “should have gone to Tel-Baruch beach north of Tel-Aviv, which has a long history of topless and nude sunbathing. Then instead of being in hot water, he’d have been in refreshing nudist waters.” Yoder is unlikely to put the group’s endorsement on his campaign website.
Gov. Sam Brownback said that the reason he pushed for reducing income taxes was that it had the most potential to spur economic activity. And he focused on eliminating income taxes on partnerships, sole proprietorships and other businesses because most Kansans work for businesses with 10 or fewer employees. “We took a narrow slice within that because of your key economic growth being small businesses,” he told Associated Press. Brownback said he would have liked to reduce property taxes or eliminate any marriage penalty in the income-tax code but that those reductions were unlikely to result in as much economic growth. As to why he signed a tax bill that is projected to result in large budget deficits, Brownback said he didn’t want the state to stay on the same track it has been on. “It’s better to get to a different track,” he said. Critics contend the new track shifts more of the tax burden to poor and working-class families and is unlikely to produce enough revenue growth to cover the budget shortfalls.
