Kansas 2024 1st Special Session

Kansas Senate Bill SB5

Introduced
6/18/24  

Caption

Authorizing counties to impose an earnings tax.

Impact

The potential impact of SB5 is significant as it provides counties with a new avenue for generating revenue. By allowing for an earnings tax, local governments could enhance their financial flexibility to fund essential services and projects. Supporters argue that this could lead to less dependency on property taxes, thereby easing the tax burden on property owners. Additionally, it could empower local governments to tailor their tax strategies to better address specific local needs and dynamics, fostering more direct community engagement in fiscal matters.

Summary

Senate Bill No. 5 (SB5) is a proposed piece of legislation in Kansas that authorizes counties to impose an earnings tax on individuals working within the county and on residents working outside the county. The tax rate is capped at 1% per year, and a significant portion of the tax revenue must be allocated to reduce reliance on ad valorem property taxes. SB5 outlines the parameters under which counties may levy an earnings tax, including the requirement of electoral approval from a majority of voters in the county. This provision seeks to ensure that residents have a say in any new taxation that affects their earnings.

Contention

However, concerns surrounding SB5 revolve around the implications of local taxation authority. Critics may raise alarms over potential inequities in how the tax burden is distributed among different income groups or geographic areas within counties. There are apprehensions that an earnings tax could deter businesses or individuals from working in taxed areas, leading to adverse economic effects. Moreover, there is apprehension regarding how the implementation of such a tax might complicate the existing tax landscape, creating a patchwork of local tax laws that could confuse residents and employers alike. The electoral approval requirement is intended to safeguard against misalignment with public interest, but it also introduces the possibility of contentious campaigns over tax issues in local jurisdictions.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS SB79

Authorizing counties to impose an earnings tax.

KS HB2684

Authorizing cities to propose an earnings tax for ballot question.

KS SB539

Simplifying income tax rates for individuals, increasing the standard deduction and the Kansas personal exemption, eliminating the income limit for the income tax subtraction modification exempting social security benefits, establishing a child tax credit, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, decreasing the privilege tax normal tax rate and establishing a 0% state rate for sales and use taxes for sales of food and food ingredients on July 1, 2024.

KS SB487

Authorizing counties to contract with other counties to share 911 public safety answering point services and authorizing the distribution of 911 fee moneys to counties for such purposes.

KS HB2176

Creating the Arkansas city area public library district act and the Udall area public library district act, requiring an election for the creation of such district and authorizing unified school districts No. 470 and 463 to levy a tax on behalf of such library district.

KS SB410

Reducing penalties for the late filing of or the failure to file statements listing personal property for assessment and the discovery of escaped personal property and reporting changes after initial statement, allowing for filing of an appraisal by a certified residential real property appraiser for appeal purposes, accounting for adverse influences in the valuation of agricultural land, including properties used for registered agritourism activities as land devoted to agricultural use for purposes of classification, providing a property tax exemption for new electric generation facilities, additions and new pollution control devices and discontinuing certain current property tax exemptions, providing that county clerks are not required to send revenue neutral rate notices to property owners of exempt property, modifying and prescribing the contents of the revenue neutral rate hearing notice, permitting a tax levy that generates the same amount of revenue as the previous year when the final assessed valuation decreases compared to the estimated assessed valuation, requiring that the governing body's vote be conducted on the same day as the commencement of the public hearing, extending reimbursement from the taxpayer notification costs fund for printing and postage costs for calendar year 2024, providing income tax subtraction modifications for certain federal credit disallowances and the employee retention credit disallowance and to permit the carryforward of certain net operating losses, clarifying the disallowed business interest expense deduction, extending the time period for the single city port authority tax credit, decreasing penalties for failing to timely remit withholding income taxes of employees by employers, clarifying the determination of taxable income of an electing pass-through entity and providing for the passing through of tax credits to electing pass-through entity owners relating to the salt parity act, providing countywide retailers' sales tax authority for Rawlins, Marshall and Neosho counties and authorizing teleconference or video conference hearings in the small claims and expedited hearings division of the state board of tax appeals.

KS HB2205

Creating the Udall area public library district act, requiring an election for the creation of such district and authorizing unified school district No. 463 to levy a tax on behalf of the library district.

KS HB2221

Expanding the eligible uses for the 0% state rate for sales tax for certain utilities and the levying of sales tax on such sales by cities and counties and authorizing cities and counties to exempt such sales from such city or county taxes.

KS HB2002

Providing countywide retailers' sales tax authority for Dickinson and Grant counties, providing for a sales tax exemption for area agencies on aging and purchases made by Kansas suicide prevention HQ, inc., providing that the secretary of revenue file a release of warrant in the county where such warrant is docketed, granting authority to the director of property valuation to develop qualifying courses and providing that certain tax notices and statements may be transmitted by electronic means by the county treasurer and county appraiser if consented to by the taxpayer.

KS SB497

Establishing the Pike reservoir project district act to provide for a lake and related commercial and residential development in Bourbon county and authorizing a governing board and sales and property tax increment financing for such project.

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