Category: Gov. Laura Kelly

Sales tax plan could save Kansans $500 a year on their grocery bills, governor says

Gov. Laura Kelly said today that that her plan to “Axe the Food Tax,” ending the sales tax on food, will save the average Kansan family $500 on their annual grocery bill.

“For too long, Kansans have been paying more for groceries than people in almost every other state,” Gov. Kelly said in a press conference with weekly and small publications.

She said the state can cut food sales tax and keep Kansas’ budget intact thanks to fiscally responsible decisions they made before and during the pandemic.

When asked about the timing of the plan, Gov Kelly said, “Anybody who knows me knows that I am incredibly fiscally conservative. I don’t like to spend money I don’t have, and it really wasn’t until this time, in this budget cycle, that I am very comfortable that we have the revenues to cover the elimination of the food sales tax and will be able to sustain that going forward.

“We have been very responsible over the past three budget cycles,” she said. “As people know, we have fully funded our schools and we are on the brink of actually closing the bank of KDOT so we will no longer be robbing the highway fund to fill holes in the system. We are in good financial shape, we’re solid, this is sustainable, and this is the right time to do it.”

The details of the plan are to eliminate the state sales tax on food immediately, the governor said in answer to a question.

“We have the money available to us right now to go ahead and fully eliminate the 6.5% state sales tax on food. So it will go away as soon as the bill becomes law and the law takes effect. It could be as early as April 1, but more likely July 1st,” Gov. Kelly said.

Gov. Kelly said she is optimistic about the food sales tax passing.

“Given the revenues that we have coming in now and given most people’s interest in doing something about the food sales tax – and given that the Speaker of the House and Senate President have both voiced support – I am optimistic,” she said. “The real trick here will be to get it through the legislative session cleanly – which means this bill will be introduced as a complete elimination of the state food sales tax with nothing else married to it so we can implement it even sooner.”


The overall fiscal impact on the state of removing the state food sales tax is about $450 million a year, Gov. Kelly said.

“In terms of the impact on locals, this bill will have no impact,” she said. “The local sales tax rates are set by the local officials and there will be nothing in this bill that would impact their ability to continue to control those rates in concert with their citizens.”

Kansas governor plans to ‘axe’ sales tax on food, joins AG in urging legislative action

by Noah Taborda, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly says she plans to introduce legislation in January to exempt food from the state sales tax, joining Attorney General Derek Schmidt in urging GOP leaders to take action on the issue.

Kelly, a Democrat running for re-election, said her plan will “axe” the sales tax on groceries. Schmidt, the favorite to receive the Republican nomination for governor in next year’s election, sent a letter last week to legislative leaders asking to either eliminate or significantly reduce the same tax.

The governor has supported efforts to reduce the tax burden on food during past sessions, including a plan that would have re-instated a tax rebate for low-income families. Her office planned the Monday announcement before Schmidt’s campaign announced his letter on Friday.

“For too long, Kansans have been paying more for groceries than people in almost every other state,” Kelly said. “This legislation will save the average Kansas family $500 or more a year on their grocery bill, and thanks to the fiscally responsible decisions we made before and during the pandemic, we can cut the food sales tax and keep Kansas’ budget intact.”

Under Kelly’s proposal, a family of four is estimated to save $500 on their grocery bill. Kelly estimated the state’s loss of revenue to be $450 million.

Kansas is one of seven states with a full tax on groceries, and the state rate of 6.5% is the second highest in the country. At least 37 states levy no sales tax on groceries and six more have reduced grocery taxes.

Grocery prices have been rising across the country with the latest consumer price index showing a 5.4% increase in prices from September 2020 to September 2021.

“If Kansas is to thrive and grow, our public policies must attract, retain and support working families,” Schmidt wrote in the letter to Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, and House Speaker Ron Ryckman, R-Olathe. “Our state must be an affordable place to live, work and raise a family. In light of the state’s current budget situation, carefully constructed tax relief that benefits all Kansans by eliminating or at least significantly reducing the sales tax on groceries is possible, necessary and overdue.”

Schmidt was critical of Kelly for vetoing a 2019 bill that included a one-cent reduction in the sales tax on groceries, among other tax reforms. In vetoing the bill, Kelly argued it would have set the state back to former Gov. Sam Brownback’s tax policies by predominantly providing relief to large, multinational corporations who hoped to evade paying state income taxes on overseas profits.

Kelly said Monday any food sales tax cut measure would need to arrive on her desk without other provisions tacked on.

“I am glad that Derek Schmidt supports our plan to eliminate the sales tax on food,” said House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, D-Wichita. “Hopefully the Speaker of the House and Senate President will pass it without bogging it down with excessive additional tax cuts for the rich.”

The Kansas Democratic Party highlighted Schmidt’s record of supporting sales tax increases while in the Legislature. In 2002, he voted for a package that included an increase in sales tax from 4.9% to 5.3%. In 2005, he voted to allow an increase in local sales tax.

“Despite what Derek Schmidt might say today, he can’t run from his history of raising taxes on Kansas families that goes back decades,” said KDP spokesperson Emma O’Brien. “Derek Schmidt has a track record of looking out for himself and his special interest donors, not Kansas families and Main Street small businesses. His sudden change of heart is nothing more than a bad-faith attempt to play politics, and Kansans can see right through it. Kansans don’t want empty words, they want action, and Derek Schmidt can’t deliver.”

Kansas Action for Children President John Wilson praised the timing of the governor’s announcement as the state experiences strong revenues. He said sales tax worsens income inequality because low-income people must pay a higher share of their income on basic needs like groceries.

An estimated 21% of children younger than 19 are living below the federal poverty level, Wilson said, and ending the food sales tax could reduce food insecurity among this group.

“Kansans have experienced one of the highest sales taxes on food in the country for years, a consequence of previous poor state tax policy,” Wilson said. “Now that Kansas has recovered from that policy and has stable revenue, it’s time to invest in Kansas workers and their families with this commonsense policy that has long had bipartisan support.”

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2021/11/08/kansas-gubernatorial-candidates-push-legislature-to-eliminate-or-reduce-food-sales-tax/.

Kansas governor, attorney general both oppose federal vaccine mandate

by Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — The two prominent candidates for governor in next year’s election share at least one political stance.

They both say President Joe Biden’s latest COVID-19 vaccine mandate is bad for Kansas.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt have issued statements objecting to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s new policy requiring private businesses with at least 100 employees to ensure workers are vaccinated or submit to weekly testing and wear a face covering.

Schmidt’s opposition to the mandate was expected. Last week, he joined a lawsuit opposing Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors. In testimony before the Legislature’s government overreach committee, he indicated he would oppose future mandates as well.

On Thursday, when the new mandate was announced, Schmidt said he would file a lawsuit in response. A spokesman for his campaign said Schmidt still intends to file a third lawsuit over a new Medicaid and Medicare rule that requires nursing home staff to be vaccinated against the deadly virus.

“The Biden administration is about to publish yet another federal vaccine mandate, this one using OSHA to target thousands of Kansas private businesses and their workers,” Schmidt said. “As I said weeks ago, we have been waiting for publication of this action that the president announced Sept. 9. … We are reviewing it, and we will challenge it in court soon.”

Kelly responded Friday by saying she shares a goal with the president of keeping safe but doesn’t believe the directive is “the correct, or the most effective, solution for Kansas.”

“States have been leading the fight against COVID-19 from the start of the pandemic,” Kelly said. “It is too late to impose a federal standard now that we have already developed systems and strategies that are tailored for our specific needs. I will seek a resolution that continues to recognize the uniqueness of our state and builds on our on-going efforts to combat a once-in-a-century crisis.”

COVID-19 has killed more than 6,400 Kansans and hospitalized more than 15,000 since the start of the pandemic. As of Wednesday, the Kansas Department for Health and Environment was tracking 164 active outbreaks across the state — including 10 with at least five infections connected to long-term care facilities, three at private businesses, and five at public and private schools.

The safe and effective vaccines are available for free, but just 53.4% of the state population is fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That includes 63.5% of Kansans ages 12 and older, and 65.5% of adults.

Nationwide, 67% of the population is fully vaccinated, including 78.4% of Americans 12 and older and 80.3% of adults.

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2021/11/05/kansas-governor-attorney-general-both-oppose-federal-vaccine-mandate/