Kansas legislature

Kansas Legislature

Kansas House approves income tax check-off for arts

February 23, 2012


— The Kansas House has approved a bill that would let Kansas residents contribute to arts programs when they pay their income taxes.

The measure, passed on a 95-29 vote Thursday, creates a new income tax check-off for the Kansas Arts Commission. The bill goes to the Senate.

The proposal, sponsored by 40 Republicans, is in line with GOP Gov. Sam Brownback's push to have arts programs rely more heavily on private funds.

Last year, Brownback vetoed the Arts Commission's entire $689,000 budget, making Kansas the first state in the nation to eliminate its arts funding. This year, he's proposing $200,000 for a new Creative Industries Commission.

Supporters don't know how much a new check-off would generate. Critics say it wouldn't provide adequate funding and could hurt other programs with check-offs.


boltzmann 2 years, 10 months ago

How about we eliminate regular state funding for the KS state departments of agriculture and transportation and then put a voluntary contribution on the tax forms to fund these activities. That will work.

And what is all this fuss about "Check-off" - I always like Uhura better, anyway.

headdoctor 2 years, 10 months ago

Big whoop. If it doesn't bring in anymore money than the other 4 existing programs for other things, why bother.

pavlovs_dog 2 years, 10 months ago

Another great idea from Repuglicans. Arts vs. Chickadees. Maybe Sam's new KAC can fund a performance piece where artists, using concealed weapons, shoot down clay chickadees in campus lecture halls.

verity 2 years, 10 months ago

Didn't, in the past, this just cause the money to be divided, with less going to each cause?

headdoctor 2 years, 10 months ago

None of the donate on your tax filing means anything to me. When they merged the fish and game with parks and recreation then tacked on tourism along with robbing the fish and game blind to gain funding for parks, etc that was enough for me. I can only assume that the chickadee money was ripped off as well. If I want to donate to a cause I will donate privately. Not through some system where administration fees suck up the effort and certainly not for Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism.

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