Wichita ? Candidates for lieutenant governor, appearing before a business group Tuesday, continued an argument about taxes that their running mates began a day earlier.

Democrat John Moore and Republican David Lindstrom spoke at a luncheon forum at the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s annual Business Congress.

“We have pledged to hold the line on taxes because we think it’s the right thing to do,” Lindstrom said of himself and gubernatorial candidate Tim Shallenburger, suggesting that Moore and candidate Kathleen Sebelius aren’t doing the same. Shallenburger and Sebelius debated on Monday.

“We have not said that we’re going to increase taxes,” Moore countered. He thinks a new administration should re-evaluate everything, though.

“Nobody in this room nobody in this room (is doing) business the way they did 10 years ago,” Moore said.

The congress is the chamber’s effort “to find out from our members what they consider to be the most pressing issues facing the Kansas business community,” said Terry Leatherman, the chamber’s vice president for legislative affairs.

The chamber’s board will review the suggestions and offer them to legislators before their next session.

High on the list of pressing issues for businesses is concern for tax exemptions.

“You have unintended consequences when you repeal those things,” Leatherman said. If tax liabilities keep a business from relocating to Kansas, Leatherman said, “then you’ve actually cost the state money by repealing those.”

Lindstrom thinks Kansas is at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to taxes.

“In Colorado,” he said, “they gave each citizen a check back.”

Moore disagrees that Kansas is struggling in that area.

“We are generally competitive,” he said. He stressed that to continue that competitiveness, Kansas needs to be vigilant about how it spends its money.

To do that, Moore said, the state needs to ensure funds earmarked for projects go there and nowhere else. He also thinks that to increase economic development resources, the state needs to measure returns on its investments.