GOP lawmakers approve a ‘flat’ income tax for Kansas, but a governor’s veto looms

By JOHN HANNA
AP Political Writer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kansas have passed a broad package of tax cuts promoted as widespread relief. But Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is likely to veto the measure approved Thursday because she says it favors the wealthy and threatens the state’s budget in the future. The opposing viewpoints kept the two sides locked in a political impasse. The GOP-supermajority Legislature approved a plan to cut income, sales and property taxes by nearly $1.6 billion over the next three years. But Kelly opposes a provision moving Kansas to a single personal income tax rate of 5.25% to replace three rates that now top out at 5.7%.