Tax increase passed in Kansas
May 27, 2010
The Kansas House of Representatives passed a one-cent sales tax increase on May 11.
The bill will raise $314 million over the next year by increasing the Kansas state sales tax from 5.3 percent to 6.3 percent, according to the Kansas City Star. The sales tax rate in Shawnee will be 8.775 percent and 9.025 percent in Lenexa. The increases will go into effect July 1.
The tax increase is enough to cover the Kansas legislators approved a $13.6 billion budget for the coming year. The tax will correct some of the cuts to social services made around the state during the last year.
While the SM school district will not receive any additional funding from the tax increase, the district will not have to make any further cuts
“Neither Shawnee Mission, nor any other school district, will experience any increase in funding based on the tax increase. Therefore, the board is not expected to take any of the reductions off the table. In fact, Shawnee Mission anticipates spending about $5 million more than it will receive in 2011-12. This will continue to erode the fund balances of the district and further reductions will be necessary in the future,” SM Budget director Tim Rooney said.