Kansas tax committee hears competing views on SCR 16-16 assessment cap

Summary

Supporters told the Assessment and Taxation Committee an assessed-value cap would protect homeowners; opponents from farm, housing and real-estate groups said the proposed 3% cap (SCR 16-16) would shift property-tax burdens to other classes and could complicate development and school funding. The hearing was continued.

The Kansas Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee heard more than a dozen conferees on SCR 16-16, a proposed constitutional amendment to limit annual assessed-value growth, with opponents saying the measure shifts tax burden and proponents saying it would protect homeowners and increase transparency.

Opponents framed the amendment as a shift, not a cut. John Donley, lobbyist for the Kansas Farm Bureau, said the Farm Bureau — which represents about 30,000 voting members — considered the proposal through its policy process and opposes it because a 3% cap on assessed value will prompt local governments to raise mill levies. "We stand adamantly opposed to this resolution," Donley said during his remarks, adding the cap would not be applied uniformly across taxing jurisdictions and therefore must be evaluated…

Kansas tax committee hears competing views on SCR 16-16 assessment cap

Summary

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