Property tax relief can’t happen without changes in Kansas government | Opinion

As Solomon said, there is nothing new under the sun.

Politicians offer solutions to problems in which they cannot deliver.

Can we get real about property tax “relief?”

Unless local governments can restrain their spending and spending increases, property tax relief will never ever happen.

Never, ever, ever, ever.

State legislators and most gubernatorial candidates are being deceitful.

Their caterwauling is a bit much.

I’ve been around, so I understand nuance, spin and dodging, but the dishonesty that has been displayed by legislators, and especially their leaders on this issue, and most gubernatorial candidates, is astonishing.

There is a reason the Kansas Legislature hasn’t been able to deliver property tax relief — because they cannot do it without some really politically difficult decisions which would be state mandated spending limits or widespread consolidation.

To suggest otherwise insults the intelligence of their constituents.

The proposal for a 3% appraisal cap is silly. It is unfair and skews other property owners’ tax liability.

Local government spending drives our property tax burden. It is not complicated.

Kansas has the second-highest number of local government employees per capita among our 50 states.

According to the U.S. Census, Kansas has the second-highest number of general government units, which are cities, counties and townships; slighty less than 3,000.

That does not include the additional nearly 1,500 other taxing authorities that exist, such as library boards and transit authorities.

I grew up outside of Wichita in Minneha Township. At the time, it was well outside the city limits, but it’s not today.

So why does Minneha Township still exist?

Utah is about the same size and has about the same population as Kansas. Utah has less than 300 of these government units.

California has 539.

Speaking of California, the recent proposal to increase the state sales tax to 7.25% would match California for the highest in the nation.

This would hurt border counties — and the entire state.

Kansas is already in the top 10 among states in combined local state and local sales tax rates.

Most of our elected officials are politically and intellectually unable to address government budgets.

As Milton Friedman said, the cost of government is not the tax burden, it is spending.

While I think a solution is a spending limit like Colorado’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which requires a vote of the people for any budget increase beyond population and inflation increases.

But there are many states that don’t have TABOR, and yet don’t have the spending problem that Kansas government does.

I wish I knew why.

A big reason for our high local and state government spending is that after the reappraisal and reclassification of property in the 1980s and 1990s, state and local governments received enormous windfalls. Their budgets increased and they never looked back.

Appraisals skyrocketed and mill levies were not adjusted. Today’s elected leaders are not at fault for that, but they are at fault for not addressing it.

Do our current elected leaders have the gumption to correct his?

In addition to addressing local and state spending, we need to take a hard look at the inconsistent appraisal system across Kansas, and the appeal process for the same.

If the taxpayer wins their appeal, they need to be paid for their attorney fees and interest for their artificially high property tax payments.

Appraisals across the state are wildly inconsistent. Appraisers are hired by the governments that employ them, so there is a serious conflict of interest.

Absent from the public discussion have been local government folks.

Surely, they have some ideas but have not offered any. This enormous problem cannot be solved without their involvement. However, they have yet to publicly acknowledge there is a problem.

If they cannot acknowledge the question, then they are part of it.

Who is willing to be honest?

— Alan Cobb is a Republican political consultant, former president and CEO of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, a 2016 member of the Donald Trump campaign and transition team, and a former lobbyist for Koch Industries and affiliated political organizations.