FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – December 1, 2008

TOPEKA – The free-market grassroots group Americans for Prosperity-Kansas released the following statement in response to the latest consensus revenue estimates presented to lawmakers:

“Today legislators learned just how dire the budget situation is in Kansas, and numerous proposals for tax increases surfaced in a joint interim committee just an hour after leadership elections were conducted,” said AFP-Kansas state director Alan Cobb.

“At a time of economic hardships across the nation, is this really the time for legislators to be raising the tax burden for everyday Kansans? Compared to our neighbors, our state is already uncompetitive in terms of tax rates imposed on the people who live here.

“Legislators were reminded today that in 2007 this state had a budget surplus of $1 billion, and under the current leadership we face a $141 million deficit that will grow to $1 billion by 2010. Much of this is attributed to our state’s spending outpacing its revenues.

“Given the worsening status of our state’s finances, it’s unfortunate that a small majority of Senate Republicans decided the status quo was acceptable.”