Topeka ? A coalition of Democrats and Republicans on Tuesday ran over Republican leaders in the House and managed to delay a vote on a bill that sought to raise taxes by removing exemptions to the state sales tax.

Prior to putting off debate of the bill, House members essentially gutted the legislation by passing amendments to maintain the current state sales tax exemptions for residential utilities, churches, lottery ticket sales and a number of other areas.

Then the Democrats teamed up with a group of Republicans to put off further consideration of the bill until May 3, arguing that by then state officials will have a better idea of how much revenue will come in for the next fiscal year. That vote was 64-57.

Democrats said the decision by Republican leaders to schedule a vote on the tax bill on Tuesday was an exercise in “gotcha politics.”

They argued the state budget for the next fiscal year was not close to being put together, and legislators are still awaiting more up-to-date revenue numbers for a target. Record drops in revenue over the past year have resulted in nearly $1 billion cut from a $6.4 billion budget.

But several Republicans said the debate was timely in order to find out how much interest there was in raising taxes to address what is an estimated $500 million shortfall in the fiscal year that starts July 1.

After the vote, House Speaker Mike O’Neal, R-Hutchinson, said putting off the vote will allow Democrats and a few Republicans to vote for a tax increase in the closing hours of the legislative session “in the hope that Kansans won’t notice or in the hopes of convincing their constituents that they had no choice.”

Meanwhile, Gov. Mark Parkinson, a Democrat, took a swipe at House Republican leaders who say more cuts are needed to balance the budget.

“Yet, they can’t, or won’t, show a plan,” he said in his blog. “It’s time; we deserve to know the House Republican plan to cut $400 million from the budget. It’s their job. You are paying them, just like you are paying me, to lead and come up with solutions. What is their solution?” Parkinson has proposed a 1-cent increase in the state sales tax and 55-cent per pack increase in the cigarette tax to help bridge the shortfall.