Gov. Brownback Would Support Proposed Flat Tax

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has endorsed a proposal to use a “flat” personal income tax to raise new revenue to fix the state’s serious budget problems.

The conservative Republican governor said in a statement Wednesday that he would sign a bill like one before the state Senate.

It would impose a 4.6 percent rate for all filers starting next year. That is the top rate for higher-income earners, and the bill would eliminate the 2.7 percent rate now in place for lower-income filers.

The bill would also eliminate an income tax exemption for 330,000-plus farmers and business owners that Brownback has championed.

Critics contend the bill would hit middle-class families hardest. It would raise about $690 million over two years. Kansas faces budget shortfalls totaling more than $1 billion.