JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican leaders in the GOP-dominated Kansas Senate have cancelled a debate over raising taxes to close a state budget shortfall.
Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce confirmed the decision shortly before the debate was to begin Thursday.
He and other top Republicans said they did not expected any bill to pass Thursday.
But Bruce said GOP leaders were canceling the debate because proposed amendments to the bill weren’t ready.
The bill would increase the state’s sales, cigarette and gasoline taxes to help fill a projected $406 million deficit for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
The measure also would suspend an income tax exemption for more than 330,000 business owners and farmers for two years. The exemption would be replaced with a less lucrative tax credit against businesses’ payrolls.
—————————-
JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) â Republican leaders aren’t expecting the GOP-dominated Kansas Senate to pass any plan ahead of a debate on proposals for raising taxes to fix a budget shortfall.
The Senate was taking up a bill Thursday to increase the state’s sales, cigarette and gasoline taxes to help fill a projected $406 million deficit for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
The bill also would suspend an income tax exemption for more than 330,000 business owners and farmers for two years. The exemption was enacted in 2012 and would be replaced with a less lucrative tax credit against businesses’ payrolls.
The proposal backtracks on one of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s key economic policies.
Republican leaders said before the debate that they doubted any version of the bill would pass.