Kansas legislators have approved increases in sales and cigarette taxes to erase a budget deficit and avert deep spending cuts.
The Senate voted 21-19 Friday to approve a bill raising the sales tax to 6.5 percent from 6.15 percent. The House passed it 63-45 early Friday morning, and it goes next to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.
The GOP-dominated Legislature also is sending Brownback a companion bill to increase the cigarette tax by 50 cents a pack to $1.29. The House passed it 63-44 early Friday, after the Senate’s approval Sunday.
The two bills together raise $384 million during the fiscal year that begins July 1 to balance the budget.
The passage of the bill brings the Legislature much closer to the end of its record session which was in its 113th day on Friday.
Governor Brownback issued the following statement after the Legislation passed:
“I greatly appreciate the hard work of the Legislature in passing the budget and a tax bill that meets our Constitutional obligation to provide sufficient revenue to fund budget appropriations. I congratulate them on coming together in a spirit of cooperation and compromise to do what is right for Kansas.
“This bill keeps the state on a path of economic growth, creating well-paying jobs that benefit all Kansans. It continues our transition from taxes on productivity to consumption-based taxes and provides a mechanism for reducing income tax rates for all our citizens.
“I thank the Legislature for completing the final actions of this legislative session: passing a pro-growth tax policy and a balanced budget.”
