The beneficiaries of tax overhauls proposed by Gov. Brownback and House Republications are likely to be wealthy corporations -- and not just small businesses that create jobs, The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities says in a report it just released.
The major beneficiaries of such a giveaway are unlikely to be the small businesses and job creators that Governor Brownback says he is intent on helping. Instead, the benefits would flow in great measure to large, established businesses, some of which don't even have employees.
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy reports today that Gov. Brownback's proposed tax plan would increase taxes for the vast majority of Kansans, while cutting taxes for the richest of the rich. The Institute writes:
An ITEP analysis of the plan finds that the bottom 80 percent of the state’s income distribution would collectively see a tax hike under the Brownback plan, while the best off 20 percent of Kansans would see substantial tax cuts. For most middle- and low-income Kansans, the tax break from the income tax rate cuts would be completely offset by the loss of income tax credits and itemized deductions, as well as a higher sales tax rate.
Recently retired Secretary of Revenue Joan Wagnon said Tuesday that the tax plan proposed by Gov. Sam Brownback hurts working families and the poor by literally picking their pockets as it preserves tax credits for banks and wealthy corporations.
Wagnon analyzed the list of tax credits the Brownback plan proposes to remove, and the credits it proposes to preserve. She determined that the Brownback plan overwhelmingly favored banks, wealthy corporations and other businesses over wage earners. In some cases, like the tax credit for historic preservation, the plan allows banks and corporations to keep that credit while taking it away from individual taxpayers.
Under the plan, individual Kansans would lose $180 million in tax credits, while banks and wealthy corporations would retain almost all of their credits and deductions
“The governor has said he’s not picking winners and losers, but he is; he’s choosing banks and wealthy corporations over people,” Wagnon said. “This isn’t even remotely fair, and it drains funding from education.”
7:02 PM: We agree with the Governor - we're the people of Kansas, and we're not quitting. We're not stopping in the fight for good schools. We're not stopping to fight to restore education cuts.
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