Topeka ? In the early morning hours of May 11, state Rep. Tony Brown, D-Baldwin City, pressed the green button on his desk, voting for an increase in the state sales tax.

Politically, it remains to be seen if that was a good move. Brown is a freshman legislator seeking re-election in a district that has gone both Democratic and Republican.

And it could be argued Brown’s vote wasn’t needed because the tax bill was finally approved in the House on a 64-61 tally.

But Brown said he felt he had to vote for the tax increase because earlier he voted for the spending in the budget. It would have been wrong to vote for the spending and not for the tax bill, he said.

The tax vote will be front and center in the upcoming legislative elections. All 125 House seats are up for grabs.

Anti-tax groups promise to make an issue of the vote to increase the state sales tax from 5.3 cents per dollar to 6.3 cents for three years. In 2013, the tax is scheduled to decrease to 5.7 cents per dollar, with a portion of the revenue going to help fund the new state transportation plan.

One of the groups that opposed the tax increase and has promised to make an issue out of it during the election season is the Kansas Chamber of Commerce.

“Six months from now, the people of Kansas will judge the outcome of this political process,” said Kent Beisner, interim president and chief executive officer of the Kansas chamber.

Dan Murray, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, said the Legislature made a big mistake in approving the tax increase. “Our members are furious with lawmakers for raising taxes now,” he said.

But Gov. Mark Parkinson, a Democrat who called for the tax increase, said legislators who voted for it should be commended for making a courageous decision in the face of powerful special interests, Tea Party activists, and a growing disdain for government spending.

Parkinson argues the tax increase solved the state’s crippling budget crisis by protecting public schools, public safety and the social service safety net after six rounds of budget cuts. He said the tax increase will help the state’s economic recovery by providing revenue to the new transportation plan, which will produce thousands of jobs.

And, he said, the tax increase positions Kansas well. “All these other states think that they can shrink their way to greatness. We know that’s not possible. The way you get to greatness is you cut waste and you spend money where it makes sense to spend it,” he said.

Senate President Steve Morris, R-Hugoton, who also supported the tax increase, said when voters learn of the choices facing legislators they are more understanding about the tax increase.

He said a majority of legislators believed that after the state cut nearly $1 billion from the budget over the past 18 months, further cuts would have done permanent damage.

“We don’t like having our taxes raised, but we believe it was necessary,” Morris said.