Kansas GOP Insider (wannabe): Closing the LLC Loophole Is Dead

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Closing the LLC Loophole Is Dead

It had a good run, but in the end, there just weren't enough votes to close an unintended consequence of the 2012 tax cuts. 

The strange thing is legislators voted, and it would have passed had so-called moderates voted to close the loophole. You'll recall the moderates have been some of the most vocal proponents of closing the LLC-loophole, suggesting that closing the loophole must happen FOR THE CHILDREN. 

There are some very good arguments for fixing the LLC-loophole, and an awful lot of really smart people disagree on this course of action. The Tax Foundation supports closing the loophole. Meanwhile, Americans for Tax Reform says the tax cuts are working. Bottom line: Reasonable people can and do disagree in rational ways about the LLC loophole and whether it's a good solution to Kansas' current budget challenges.

Meanwhile, the so-called mods and their Democrat friends have been moaning about the 2012 tax package since well, before 2012. I believe their base belief is that government should have all the money, and we plebes should receive allowances courtesy of the state.

It looks like closing the Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer named LLC-loophole is dead after a very long day under the Dome yesterday. The measure, SB 63, failed by 16 votes in the House. 

I mention this only because voters should recognize that the mods and Dems have been lying from day one about their real concerns about the Kansas budget. When given the chance to overturn the 2012 tax reform and given the opportunity to reverse the LLC-loophole, they voted against both measures. 

These 24 mods/Dems voted against reversing the LLC loophole not once, but twice. Once in 2014, when they voted against overturning the 2012 tax reforms, and again this session when they voted against closing the LLC-loophole. They include Barbara Bollier, Tom Burroughs, Sydney Carlin, Stephanie Clayton, Diana Dierks John Doll, Blaine Finch, Gail Finney, Stan Frownfelter, Broderick Henderson, Jerry Henry, Larry Hibbard, Don Hill, Don Hineman, Roderick Houston, Russell Jennings, Annie Kuether, Tom Moxley, Tom Phillips, Melissa Rooker, Kent Thompson, Brandon Whipple, John Wilson and Valdenia Winn.

Their argument for the latest vote against closing the loophole is that it didn't fully solve the problem, meaning it wouldn't completely close the budget hole.

Don't buy their story. While it may not have closed the hole, it would have been a start -- and a start that the so-called moderates and Democrats said they wanted. (Here is where I must note that more spending cuts is also a start in closing the gap.)

But these so-calleds really have no interest in solving Kansas' problems. I believe their approach is Burn It Down. This means they'd rather set fire to Brownback's Kansas than let him have any credit for positive results.

It's childish and pathetic, but that's where we're at. It's not really about what's best for Kansas; it's about having power and attempting to embarrass the Governor and conservatives. While conservatives are busy looking for solutions to keep the lights on and please everyone -- even the money grubbing K-12ers -- the mods and Dems are pouring gasoline on the process. 

For those 24, it was never about the budget, making ends meet or protecting Kansans. They had two opportunities to reverse what they said was bad for Kansans, and they voted against it--twice. 

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