Kansas Republicans Concede They Must Raise Taxes

“With the state facing a $400 million budget hole for the coming fiscal year, the conservatives who dominate the Legislature here say they are agonizing over the likelihood of doing something that did not seem to be in their DNA: raising taxes,” the New York Times reports.

“Just three years ago, many of these lawmakers passed the largest tax cuts in state history, saying they would lead to economic growth. But that growth did not appear, and after repeatedly trimming spending to close shortfalls, legislators again find themselves in a prolonged budget battle with no easy answers, where both houses of the Republican-controlled Legislature are proposing tax increases.”

“The reason: even anti-tax Republicans are acknowledging that there is not much more to cut without significantly hurting popular programs, including education.”