Sam Brownback lied to Kansans about new school funding cuts

http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/yael-t-abouhalkah/article9389519.html



Sam Brownback lied to Kansans about new school funding cuts
By YAEL T. ABOUHALKAH
02/06/2015 8:07 AM

Put it simply and factually: On Thursday, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback lied to kids and educators throughout the state when he announced $44.5 million in cutbacks for higher education and K-12 schools.

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But here are the facts about what really caused the education cuts (Hint: it’s the excessive income tax cuts that Brownback and the Legislature approved in 2012), all culled from Kansas Department of Revenue figures.
▪ Yes, sales tax revenue is down $13 million for the first seven months of the current fiscal year, through January.
▪ However, personal income tax revenues — some of the taxes that Brownback and his allies slashed in 2012 — already are $23 million lower than expected in predictions made just a week after the governor won re-election in November.

Add in the fact that corporate taxes are down $19 million, and those Kansas income tax receipts are $42 million lower than predicted through January — or more than three times the reduction in sales tax collections.

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In summary, the continued fall in income taxes — because of actions taken by Brownback and the GOP controlled Legislature — is causing the school funding cutbacks.