TOPEKA — After he became Kansas governor in 2011, Sam Brownback slashed taxes on the promise that the cuts would trigger a furious wave of business expansion.
But the “shot of adrenaline” hasn’t worked as envisioned, and the state budget remains in crisis. Now many of the same Republicans who helped pass Brownback’s plan are in revolt, refusing to help the governor cut spending after tax collections missed projections.
If Brownback won’t reconsider any of the cuts, lawmakers say, he will have to figure out for himself how to balance the budget in the face of disappointing revenue.
Many legislators want to scale back an income tax exemption granted to more than 330,000 farmers and business owners.
Brownback says reversing the policy would stymie growth.
