The Senate Tax Committee has been hearing testimony regarding SB516 which would increase the cigarette and sales tax. This morning I was reading an article in the Topeka Capitol Journal about the committee hearing and Senator Julia Lynn, Olathe was quoted as follows: “I hope the committee won’t lose sight of the fact that these are legal products, that we are picking something out, we are singling an industry out,” Lynn said. “The other side is going to be the loss of revenue for business and possible job loss. It’s curious to impose a tax against certain industries to fill a budget hole which we actually created ourselves.”
Someone might want to remind Senator Lynn that the Kansas Legislature singles out special interest groups all the time and grants them tax exemptions. Why is she not curious about targeted exemptions?
She states she is worried about the loss of jobs which could be caused by an increase in the cigarette tax. Was Senator Lynn worried about the hundreds of lost jobs in our schools when she voted for special interest tax exemptions targeted to specific products and industries? Does Senator Lynn value the jobs in the tobacco, cancer causing industry more than the jobs of teachers molding the young minds of our future leaders?
Perhaps that is question the constituents in her district need to ask.
We do agree with Senator Lynn on one thing, the gaping budget hole was created by the Kansas Legislature. It was created by giving certain special interest groups and their wealthy proponents targeted tax exemptions.
And we don’t disagree, either, if what she is suggesting is a need for a broader revenue increase; we’d welcome an income tax increase and a repeal of all of those special interest tax exemptions that have helped to dig the state into such a hole.
