Kansas Gov. will veto tax package, call special session

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly plans to veto the new tax package passed by the state Legislature in an overnight session Wednesday.

The governor's Chief of Staff, Will Lawrence, sent the following statement to Nexstar's Kansas Capitol Bureau.

“Governor Kelly will veto the tax plan agreed to in Conference Committee Report for Senate Bill 37. She will call the Legislature back into legislative session if this is the tax plan sent to her desk.”

Governor Kelly's Chief of Staff Will Lawrence

The tax package, which passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support, includes a two-rate income tax  –  something the Governor expressed issues with earlier this year.

She vetoed the last package, calling it "too expensive," and proposed a 'less costly' counter offer to lawmakers last week – totaling $433 million per year.

The Governor's Office estimated the original two-rate income tax proposal sent to her desk last month would've come out to $520 million per year. However, the new tax package passed Wednesday made some adjustments from the original plan.

The new package reduces the cut to the two brackets, setting the tiers to 5.57% and 5.2%. It also maintains the cuts for property taxes, social security and the food sales tax.

For a look at what's inside the proposal, click here.

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