Kansas lawmakers seek rebates for losses from COVID closures

Kansas businesses shut down thanks to COVID-19 constraints could quickly be suitable for rebates on property taxes or hire compensated through that time.

On their ceremonial ultimate working day of the legislative session the Kansas Property and Senate approximately unanimously authorised a bill allocating $50 million in federal COVID-19 reduction bucks to the rebates.

Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Democrat, was the sole no vote in the Property.

Corporations could request up to $5,000 per tax year all through which they faced shutdowns or constraints imposed by a government entity. Businesses who acquired much more than $150,000 in other COVID-19 relief funding would be ineligible.

The laws passed with bipartisan assist immediately after dying at the tail finish of the legislative session last 12 months.

Sen. Tom Holland, a Baldwin Town Democrat, mentioned the legislation was aimed at smaller community corporations that missing out on earnings they would have attained from foot traffic in the spring of 2020 but could not obtain federal grants.

“For those people corporations that in fact went out of business simply because of COVID they can actually get some advantage out of this,” Holland mentioned.

Even though Republican lawmakers supported the monthly bill, Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican, said lawmakers should really be very careful not to permit Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to get credit for the rebate.

“I know that she’s heading to consider credit score for it when she shut the companies down,” Tyson explained.

Kelly issued a sweeping continue to be-at-household purchase in March 2020 closing non-critical enterprises for about a thirty day period in an exertion to cease the spread of COVID-19. Kelly’s get mirrored similar steps by area and point out governments across the country. Kelly has not but mentioned irrespective of whether she supports the invoice, but she has demonstrated broad guidance for tax breaks this 12 months.

Home Democrats unsuccessfully sought to send out the bill back again to request a a lot more aggressive implementation of the meals gross sales tax elimination than the bill passed in the Legislature previous month.

“We need to glance at offering tax breaks to our average doing work class families,” Dwelling Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat, said.

This tale was originally posted Might 23, 2022 1:09 PM.