Press Release

For Further Information Contact:
Derrick Sontag
785-249-9960

TOPEKA, KAN. – The Kansas chapter of the grassroots group Americans for Prosperity released the following statement in response to the latest developments of the Kansas legislative veto session.

“It’s disappointing that liberal Republicans and Democrats have apparently chosen to place the burden of closing our state’s budget gap squarely on Kansas families and businesses,” said AFP-Kansas state director Derrick Sontag. “At a time of high unemployment, when more and more layoffs are being announced and when employers are struggling to keep their doors open, passing a massive tax increase is simply, the wrong path to take.

“Passage of the Senate tax bill will only place Kansas retailers at an even larger competitive disadvantage to businesses in surrounding states. Trying to force Kansans to pay for this budget problem will only backfire on the Legislature, as it will simply push more Kansans across the state line to make their purchases.

“With more than a third of our state’s population living in a county bordering Missouri alone, raising Kansas tax rates will just create an incentive to shop outside our state.

“From 2004 to 2009, state spending increased by 40 percent. And despite the claims by some, the budget that this tax increase is aimed to support represents an increase in state general fund spending of $195 million from the current year budget.

“It’s unfortunate that rather than seizing the opportunity to reduce the size of our state government, legislators have chosen to impose on all Kansans the highest sales tax increase in state history. To make matters worse, they have elected this route not to lessen the amount of a reduction to our state general fund but rather, to increase spending thus electing to grow government at a time when family and business budgets are shrinking.

“This act by an out of touch legislature should not be tolerated by a struggling private sector. This is the time to evaluate and implement sound practices aimed at providing a more efficient state government, practices such as the selling off of unneeded state assets including buildings and land an idea that was offered and subsequently, refuted by the liberal coalition.

“It is unknown whether the legislative session will come to a close late this evening or whether it will reconvene on Monday. Either way, the efforts of the coalition to grow government at the expense of Kansans should be transparent to all if, for anything to allow citizens one last opportunity in the waning hours of the 2010 legislative session, to state their opposition to paying for a growing and burdensome state government.”