Kansas governor to veto income tax hike meant to fix budget
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback promised publicly Tuesday to veto a bill that would roll back personal income tax cuts he’s championed, calling the bipartisan measure for fixing the state’s persistent budget problems “an assault on the pocketbooks of the middle class.”
The conservative Republican governor announced his intention four days after the GOP-controlled Legislature approved the bill — and only hours after it was formally delivered to his office. The tax increases in the bill would raise more than $1 billion over two years, starting in July.
“This is bad policy for Kansas. This will hurt growth in this state. Growth is what we need,” said Brownback, who made the promise to nearly 1,000 people during a speech at an annual banquet of the highly supportive Kansas Chamber of Commerce. About a third of the crowd gave him a standing ovation, cheering and applauding, while some did not clap.
The governor later issued a lengthy statement in which he called the bill’s tax increases “punitive.”