Here are details on rebate programs Wichita plans if 1% sales tax passes

The city plans to enact at least two rebate programs for Wichita residents if a new sales tax is approved by voters on March 3.

The 1% sales tax would help pay for property tax relief, among other things. However, city leaders have acknowledged that increasing the sales tax could hurt lower-income families and those on fixed incomes.

Here’s what we know about the rebate programs. Details on how to apply are still being decided:

Homestead Property Tax Relief Program

The city said it could provide hundreds of dollars in property tax rebates each year for low-income residents, much like what is done at the state level.

Those who participate in the state program and own a home in Wichita would also be able to apply for the city’s program, which could provide payments of up to 33% of the applicant’s state refund.

The state listed these eligibility requirements for 2025:

• You must have been a Kansas resident for all of 2024;
• You must have household income of $42,600 or less;
• You must have owned and occupied a home in Kansas during 2024; and
• Your house cannot be valued at more than $350,000

The state says applicants must also meet one of these requirements: born before January 1, 1969; blind or totally and permanently disabled; have a dependent child under 18 who lived with you the entire year; be a disabled veteran; be the surviving spouse of a member of the armed forces who died during active service and not be remarried; or be the spouse of a disabled veteran.

The city refund program would begin in 2027 and run until the end of 2034.

Money for the city program would come from the city’s general fund and not from sales tax proceeds. City documents did not provide an estimate for how much the program would cost.

Sales Tax Relief Program

The Wichita City Council also recently approved an annual rebate program for lower-income residents to help offset additional costs of the 1% sales tax.

The program would offer $55 annually for qualified residents.

Those who participate must qualify for the federally funded Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP).

Eligibility requirements can be found at the state of Kansas’ Department of Children and Families website.

A city agenda report previously said that more than 23,000 households in Wichita qualify for the program.