New Ad "cut It" Highlights Kelly Plan to Cut Food Tax

Press Release

The Laura Kelly for Kansas campaign released a new television ad highlighting the senator's plan to balance the budget without raising taxes and cut the sales tax on food. The ad also reminds voters that Kris Kobach has promised to bring back the Brownback tax experiment that devastated Kansas.

"Sam Brownback's experiment wrecked our budget and hurt our families," Kelly says in the ad. "And when Kris Kobach promised tax cuts, he really means he'll bring back the Brownback experiment and make it even worse."

On June 14, 2015, at the height of the state's budget crisis, Kobach said on his radio show that "the tax cuts were 100% correct and absolutely not too big in 2012."

And, according to the Wichita Eagle, "Secretary of State Kris Kobach said that if he's elected governor, he'll try to restore former Gov. Sam Brownback's tax cuts that were repealed with the state swimming in red ink."

"Kansans should be alarmed that a major candidate for governor would propose bringing back the Brownback experiment -- the single largest financial disaster our state has faced since the Great Depression," said budget expert Duane Goossen. "It is clear that Kris Kobach is not serious about leading Kansas or making sure that our families and communities can grow and thrive."

In the television ad, Kelly goes on to say, "that's his plan. Here's mine. Balance the budget without raising taxes and do something that actually helps families get by. Here's one. Kansas is one of the few states that puts a sales tax on food. My plan would cut it. Because I know a little extra each week goes a long way."

According to a guest column for the Kansas Center for Economic Growth: "Studies show that Kansas' current state sales tax rate on groceries of 6.5 percent is hurting working families who are already strapped when it comes to purchasing food. And Kansas shoppers don't just pay the 6.5 percent state sales tax when they shop -- they pay that PLUS whatever the local city/county sales tax is when they shop for groceries. That can add up fast -- as high as 11 percent of grocery purchase totals for some Kansans."

Kelly has supported numerous efforts to reduce the sales tax on food, including in 2012, 2015, and 2016. During the 2016 tax debate, Kelly criticized the high tax on food on KSNT. "That's absurd. We see an out migration of shoppers going to adjoining states because there they can pay five, seven, eight percent less on food. That's significant. We need to do something about it."

As governor, Kelly will end the Brownback experiment for good, stabilize the budget, eliminate "no-bid" contracts, and reduce the sales tax on food.

"What has always struck me is Laura's reasonable approach to the budget process and her deep commitment to Kansas families," Goossen said. "She is fiscally responsible and understands how to provide meaningful tax cuts for our working men and women and their families."

Due to the successful bipartisan effort to reverse the Brownback experiment in 2017, Kansas's budget has begun to stabilize. Revenues have come in ahead of estimates each month, including by $81 million in September.

"Cutting the sales tax on food will make a significant impact on Kansas families," said Kelly. "It will mean more money in your pocket and more food on the table."

See full factual back up for the ad "Cut It" here.

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