Today, we’re publishing candidates’ responses to the following question:
Earlier this summer, lawmakers passed and Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law a tax cut package that slashes roughly $2.4 billion in property and income taxes over the next three years. The law reduces state income tax brackets from three tiers to two and eliminates the state tax on Social Security benefits, among other things. Do you think the most recent tax cut bill provides enough relief for Kansans? Why or why not? If elected, would you seek more tax cuts and, if so, what would that look like?
Below are the answers the Post received from candidates on the issue:
District 8
Cindy Holscher (Democratic, incumbent)
The $2.4B tax relief package that was passed into law was a nice step in the right direction. The plan contains a tax exemption on social security as well as a child care tax credit. A previous bill provides for the elimination of sales tax on food by Jan. 1.
There have been mailers going out indicating that Democrat legislators voted against tax relief this past session. Keep in mind, extremists MAGA legislative leadership pushed a flat tax nearly all session; such plans would have unfairly benefited the wealthy, while negatively impacting those with lower earnings and returned us to Brownback style deficits. The only reason we were able to get a better plan which included the social security exemption and child care tax credit was because a group of us held out for a sustainable plan that contained those provisions.
Tax relief continues to be important and I am committed to finding additional means to help working-class Kansas. Property taxes are an area that needs to be examined; in particular the possibility of freezing property increases as well as increasing the exemption on residential property tax would benefit seniors and families.
I personally have introduced bills to exempt taxes on diapers and feminine hygiene products. I hope elections this fall will bring better balance to the statehouse so important bills like this can move forward.
Beneé Hudson (Republican)
The tax cuts that passed were good, even though my opponent flip flopped on the cuts. With over $4 billion in reserves, we will have to monitor the ending balance and if it continues to grow, we need to return more money to taxpayers. Many fought for more property tax relief, but my opponent did not. I will work diligently for property tax relief.
