Thank you to the Salina, Overland Park, Emporia, Topeka, Greater Kansas City, Northeast Johnson County, Lawrence, Ottawa, Garden City, Shawnee, Hutchinson/Reno County, Manhattan, Gardner Edgerton, and Desoto Chambers of Commerce for supporting rational tax policy which adequately supports K-12 funding and other necessary investments in our communities, and to the Kansas Economic Progress Council for reporting on this.
“14 local Kansas chambers of commerce have written to Governor Brownback and the leadership of the legislature to express the concern of their members about the state’s ‘widening budget deficits and deeper and deeper cuts to important programs that matter to honest hard-working Kansans.’
“Representatives of the Overland Park, Shawnee, and Topeka chambers hand-delivered the letters Wednesday at the Statehouse.
“Their letter says excellent schools, good highways, and quality of life matter to business, and they seem to directly take on the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and other groups on the income tax issue:
“’Some contend Kansas businesses will only be satisfied once they are no longer asked to pay income taxes. The business community in Kansas is not a monolithic block, though. We want to remind you that there is another very real voice of business in Kansas that supports a multi-faceted approach.’
“The letter goes on to say the chambers represent over 10,000 businesses over all regions of the state and all types of business.
“’None of us wants to pay higher taxes, least of all hard-working business owners trying to meet payroll and turn their entrepreneurial energy into something of value. Responsible business people understand, though, that tax dollars fairly assessed and properly expended are an investment in the kind of State we want for ourselves, our customers, our employees and our children.’
“They go on to say,
‘…please do not assume all Kansas businesses expect or want you to achieve solvency in the State’s budget only by cutting spending. Know that many of us hope you will find a more-balanced approach and will support your efforts to do so.’
“Calling the current situation a ‘painful juncture,’ the chambers single out local control, T-Works funding, economic development, K-12 school finance and higher education as areas of concern.”