Legislators in Kansas are hearing from educators and social service advocates who want them to raise taxes to close a budget shortfall.
The Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee began hearings Tuesday on proposals to raise sales and tobacco taxes. Many lawmakers, particularly Republicans, are worried that raising taxes will hurt the economy. But Mark Tallman, a lobbyist for the Kansas Association of School Boards, told the Senate committee that the state would be hurt more by further budget cuts. The bill would raise the state's sales tax from 5.3 percent to 6.3 percent. The measure also would increase the cigarette tax by 55 cents a pack, from 79 cents to $1.34. The tax on other tobacco products would rise from 10 percent to 40 percent.
