Long before she became governor, Laura Kelly advocated eliminating the sales tax on food.
In 2012, 2015 and 2016 then-Sen. Kelly introduced various measures — including a constitutional amendment — to phase out the punitive tax.
All were met with stiff Republican resistance.
Last fall, Kelly tried again, launching her “Axe the food tax” campaign with the hope legislators would adopt it this legislative session.
Republicans never discussed Kelly’s proposals.
Then lo and behold, last week Republican legislators claimed victory for incrementally phasing out the 6.5% tax over the next three years.
Because she is gracious, Kelly said she would sign the legislation, knowing full well that not only was she robbed of the political victory but, more importantly, Kansans will pay the price for the political posturing.
Republicans, you see, want to ensure Kelly gets not one iota of credit for eliminating the sales food tax while she’s running for re-election. Under their plan, the first reduction does not begin until next year, when, they are hoping, Kelly is no longer governor.
BUT KELLY’S not giving up. On Monday, the governor announced Kansas tax collections for April exceeded forecasts by $176.3 million — 13.4% above recently revised expectations — and called on legislators to end the food sales tax beginning July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
Republicans’ response?
Nothing doing.
KELLY’S presumptive opponent, Attorney General Schmidt, didn’t weigh in on the food sales tax debate, telling the Topeka Capital-Journal’s David Tidd that he preferred a hands-off approach.
“That strategy bore itself out,” Schmidt said, calling the tax cut one of his “big wins for Kansas.”
Schmidt’s personal history with the grocery tax is even less flattering.
As a state senator, Schmidt voted to increase the tax from 4.9% to 5.3%. When the tax was scheduled to go down to 5% in 2005, Schmidt voted to keep it in place for another year. Then when former Gov. Sam Brownback’s excessive income tax cuts backfired in 2015, Schmidt, who was then Attorney General, stayed mum when his colleagues raised the food sales tax to 6.5%, where it remains today — the second-highest in the country.
