Revenue secretary says tax cuts are working

By SCOTT ROTHSCHILD, The Lawrence Journal-World

Kansas Department of Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan says recent state tax collections show that Gov. Sam Brownback's tax cuts are working as economic stimulants.

The state collected $25 million in individual income tax receipts last month, or 5.7 percent more than in April 2012.

Jordan said Kansans are able to keep more in their pockets, contributing to economic growth that is offsetting the impact of lower tax rates.

“We’ve predicted that a fiscal environment where Kansans get to keep and invest more of their paycheck would bring economic growth to the state,” Jordan said.

But state Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, a critic of the tax cuts that Brownback signed into law last year, said it is too early for the Brownback administration to claim success.

"Let's wait until next year," to analyze the impact of the cuts, said Holland, the ranking Democrat on the Senate tax committee.

Revenue Secretary Jordan says Brownback cares about the poor

By SCOTT ROTHSCHILD, The Lawrence Journal-World

Gov. Sam Brownback's policies have frequently been criticized for hurting low-income Kansans.

On Sunday, Kansas Department of Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan sought to defend his boss, saying that Brownback is compassionate to the poor and that the governor gives money to homeless people on Massachusetts Street.

Jordan, who is Brownback's point man on tax issues, and state Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, spoke on Brownback's tax policies during a moderated discussion before about 150 people at the Dole Institute of Politics.

Brownback's policies — cutting income tax rates while removing tax credits aimed at helping the poor — have been criticized as unfair to low-income Kansans.

In addition, in 2011, Brownback tried to shut down the state welfare agency office in Lawrence but then changed course leaving the office open.

But Jordan said Brownback cares about poor people.