Print edition: 
TOPEKA – The divisiveness of state tax policy should be even more pronounced in Topeka today.
Jonathan Williams, a tax expert with the American Legislative Exchange Council in Washington, D.C., will address the House Taxation Committee in the Statehouse and a lunch crowd at a nearby hotel during an event sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, Kansas Policy Institute and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce. Each group has advocated for reduced government spending and lower taxes.
Williams co-authors an annual report for ALEC with Art Laffer, an architect of former President Ronald Reagan’s supply-side economics and is a paid consultant to Gov. Sam Brownback. Brownback wrote the forward to that report, called “Rich States, Poor States,” last year. The report advocates for states to cut taxes to spur economic growth.
Williams’ appearance comes just a day after Rep. Nile Dillmore, D-Wichita, pitched an idea to pluck $75,000 from the governor’s office budget – that’s the same amount as Laffer’s contract with the state. Dillmore said the House Government Budget Committee approved the move Monday in a 5-4 vote.
Meanwhile, Kansans for Quality Communities, a coalition of education and health groups, plans a news conference at the Statehouse before the luncheon to talk about what it calls Brownback’s “radical” tax reform plan.
Brownback has proposed a major overhaul of the state’s tax policy, calling for lower individual income tax rates, elimination of income taxes for many businesses that aren’t paying corporate income taxes and the elimination of several popular tax deductions and credits.
The proposal has been greeted with widespread criticism, including some from fellow Republicans. Meanwhile, House Republicans have outlined a plan of their own to dial down income tax rates.
The House Taxation Committee will hear from more supporters and opponents of Brownback’s tax plan later this week.
