Kansas Senate Panel to Examine Governor’s Tax Plan

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – A Kansas Senate committee is holding two days of hearings on Gov. Sam Brownback’s tax plan amid questions about whether it is fair to the state’s poorest residents.

The Republican-dominated Assessment and Taxation Committee was beginning its review of the GOP governor’s proposals Tuesday morning.

Brownback wants to phase in more income tax cuts over the next three years to follow up on reductions approved last year.

But to stabilize the budget, Brownback also wants to eliminate two popular income tax deductions for homeowners and keep the sales tax at its current rate, rather than letting it drop in July as planned.

The plan is drawing criticism from the Washington-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonpartisan research group that says the plan favors the wealthy. Brownback’s administration disputes that.