Charleston Gazette-Mail – In the midst of a pandemic and an economic recession, politicians in a number of states, including West Virginia, are looking at cutting income taxes this session, panelists in a discussion hosted by the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy said Thursday. Read the full article.
“It’s inexplicable to us. It’s almost like Kansas didn’t happen,” said Kelly Allen, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy.
She was referring to what has come to be known as the Kansas experiment, a 2012 law that sharply cut income taxes in that state in what then-Gov. Sam Brownback pledged would be a “shot of adrenaline into the heart of the Kansas economy.”
Instead, job growth in Kansas lagged behind neighboring states and national averages, and the loss of revenue resulted in catastrophic budget cuts to public education, higher education, roads and infrastructure, and other public services. In 2017, the Kansas General Assembly repealed the tax cuts and enacted tax increases. Additionally, in 2018, the heavily Republican state elected a Democrat as governor.
