Republican gubernatorial candidate Wink Hartman is urging Gov. Sam Brownback to veto legislation to increase income taxes on the middle class.
Hartman issued a press release following a Senate vote to approve the legislation that raises income taxes on individuals making more than $15,000.
The legislation retroactively raises income taxes on individuals who earn more than $15,000 per year. Majorities in the House and Senate approved the income tax increase bill. However, neither chamber passed the legislation with enough votes to override a potential veto. Hartman, who launched his campaign earlier this week, sent a press release shortly after the Senate voted.
“I am extremely disappointed by the Legislature’s decision to pass the largest tax increase in the history of Kansas, and I’m encouraging the Governor to veto this misguided tax hike,” Hartman said in a release. “There is something fundamentally wrong with asking Kansas families to pick up the tab for Topeka’s spending problems.”
Hartman said the tax plan would kill job creation and fails to address the underlying problem with Topeka, “an inability to live within a budget.”
Veto?
Once the Brownback receives the bill, he has 10 days to sign or veto it. However, if he does nothing, the bill becomes law without his signature.
Brownback issued a statement critical of the plan after it passed the House. He said the proposal would “pummel the pocketbook of middle class families.”
“It drastically hikes taxes retroactively on workers making as little as $15,000 annually,” Brownback said. “While on the campaign trail many of these representatives pledged to raise taxes on the wealthy, but now they are attempting to tax everyday Kansans.”
He told reporters he wouldn’t sign the bill. He stopped short of saying he would veto it. After the Senate vote, his office issued a statement saying, “The Governor will review the bill closely once he receives it.”