photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas Statehouse in Topeka, February 2014.

Gov. Laura Kelly’s Council on Tax Reform will take public comments at its Nov. 14 meeting in Topeka.

Anyone interested in addressing the council must be added to the meeting agenda, according to a news release from the governor’s office. To be added to the agenda, email Cory Sheedy at Cory.Sheedy@ks.gov. The deadline to sign up for public comment is Nov. 4.

Kelly formed the Governor’s Council on Tax Reform to pursue bipartisan reform of the Kansas tax code. The council is led by co-chairs Steve Morris, a Hugoton Republican, and Janis Lee, a Kensington Democrat.

When she formed the council by executive order in September, Kelly criticized former Gov. Sam Brownback’s tax experiment.

“While Kansas continues to recover from the tax experiment of the prior administration, there’s a need for tax reform designed with adequacy, equity and stability in mind,” Kelly said at the time. “I expect the bipartisan council to deliver sound strategies and reforms that reflect my desire to keep the state tax burden as low as possible, benefiting all Kansans.”

In 2012, Brownback signed legislation that cut income taxes and eliminated taxes for thousands of businesses, a move deemed by many as unfair and costly. The tax cuts were ultimately largely repealed in 2017.

As the Journal-World previously reported, the council will review state and local finances discussed in the 2019 legislative session, focusing on responding to federal tax law changes, the taxation of groceries as part of sales tax revenue and how to provide targeted property tax relief. It will also look at available room in future budget projections for tax relief.

An interim report by the council is planned for December 2019 in advance of the 2020 legislative session, according to the release. A final report is due in December 2020, ahead of the 2021 legislative session.