Kansas Governor fights to address rising prices

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly has announced an additional $460 million through a Governor’s Budget Amendment (GBA) for a one-time $250 tax rebate to all Kansas residents who filed a 2020 tax return in 2021.

Resident tax filers who filed as married and filing jointly will be eligible for a $500 direct payment.

“We’ve worked hard to get Kansas’ budget back on track after years of mismanagement,” Governor Kelly said.”Our strong economic growth would not be possible without the hard work of Kansas taxpayers, and I want to return this money to the people who earned it. Especially right now, when we are all experiencing the impact of rising costs at the pump and the grocery store, the state can make an immediate and direct impact to help Kansas families pay their bills and save for the future.”

Governor Kelly previously called for the one-time $250 tax rebate to all Kansas taxpayers in her budget proposal, but the full House and Senate rejected funding for this measure. However, similar bipartisan plans have been proposed in numerous other states, including most recently, the state of Missouri.

Under the Governor’s plan, Kansas will return approximately $460 million to over 1.2 million Kansas residents who paid taxes in 2021. Additionally, by using one-time revenue, this will have no impact on the state’s ongoing ability to collect revenues that fund critical services or eliminate the state’s food sales tax. The proposal will be paid for with Kansas’ current budget surplus and is intended to provide relief to tax filers who are Kansas residents.

Find the Governor’s Budget Amendments here.