Kansas lawmakers left Topeka Saturday morning after advancing a rash of bills but without acting on some major pieces of legislation. … Legislators failed to pass the K-12 budget, opting to save the bill for when they return for veto session. … Tax policymakers repackaged dozens of proposals into three bills: one just on the food sales tax (HB 2106), another with smaller or less controversial tax cuts (HB 2239) and a third with larger or more controversial positions (HB 2597). Only HB 2239, a compilation of 29 different bills, was taken up by both chambers. It passed with bipartisan support. It would cut taxes by an estimated $91 million in fiscal year 2023, $100 million in 2024 and $120 million in 2025. The new food sales tax plan is not as aggressive as Kelly and fellow Democrats have pushed for. They wanted to axe the state’s 6.5% sales tax on groceries to zero, starting July 1. The plan negotiated by Republicans would gradually cut the rate to zero over three years, with the first cut to 4% not coming until Jan. 1.
Source: Salina Journal
