TIBA STATE POLITICAL POSITIONS COMMITTEE
LEGISLATIVE ISSUES FOR 2008
January 25, 2007
This is a partial list which includes most of the high priority items for TIBA during the 2008 Legislative session. All are "proactive" except for local excise taxes and eminent domain for economic development. For those two, TIBA's position is to preserve current law.
Contractor Licensing Issues: TIBA supports the enactment of a state law to require cities and counties to recognize each others' annual training requirements for construction contractors and sub-contractors. (House Bill 2251)
Business Incentives - State Income Tax Credits. TIBA will seek administrative or legislative changes that would require certain State Income Tax Credits offered as Business Incentives to be simplified or replaced and made available to all sizes of businesses instead of only big businesses.
Unemployment Tax Moratorium. TIBA was a key player in the successful effort in the 2007 session to get two years of major tax reductions of 40%, 50%, even 100% for all positive-balance employers. TIBA supports extending these reductions for at least one additional year.
Fee for Collecting Sales Taxes. Retailers in most states get paid for serving as the state's sales tax collector. Kansas pays out-of-state retailers 3% for collecting Kansas sales tax, but pays its own retailers nothing. TIBA supports a collection fee for retailers of at least 3% for the collection of all state and local sales and use taxes.
Indemnity and Additional Insured Clauses in Contracts. TIBA supports measures to prohibit certain indemnity and "additional insured" clauses in contracts which have the effect of pushing liability onto smaller businesses and suppliers in the State of Kansas.
Unemployment Fairness and Paperwork. TIBA's opinion is that there is a tendency, in fact an almost automatic certainty, that disputed unemployment compensation claims will be awarded to employees and against employers even when the individuals resigned, failed to work, or who by their own bad acts brought about their firing. Furthermore, the amount of paperwork required for an employer to dispute these decisions is very burdensome and, along with the unfair decisions, acts as a barrier to the employer attempting to seek a fair hearing.
Local Excise Taxes. TIBA opposes any efforts to expand local excise tax authority.
Transparent School District Financial Reports and Budgeting. TIBA supports measures to insure that Kansas schools be required to report financials and budgets using truly transparent accounting methods so that citizens can examine the reporting and gain financial information by school.
Full Repeal of Personal Property Taxes on Business Machinery and Equipment. TIBA supports the full repeal of the Commercial Personal Property tax on Business Machinery.
Eminent Domain. TIBA opposes any softening of the restrictions that went into effect in July 2007 in the use of Eminent Domain for economic development.
Super-Majority for Tax Increases. TIBA supports a requirement that would specify that a super-majority of our legislative bodies be required to enact any tax increases.