Kansas Senate hopeful Caryn Tyson stopped by Iola Thursday as part of a whirlwind effort to meet voters in Kansas’ newly reshaped 12th Senate District.
A Republican from Parker, Tyson was in Iola to meet with Jim Talkington, chairman of the Allen County Republican Party.
“I’m hitting the ground running,” she told the Register.
While here, she spoke briefly about her support of tax cuts approved by legislators, including herself, and signed into law by Gov. Sam Brownback.
The Legislature’s research staff has projected the cuts will lead to a budget shortfall by July 2014 and that the gap could balloon to nearly $2.5 billion by July 2018.
The tax cuts won’t go into effect until 2013, “so we can take a hard look to see if we need to make adjustments,” Tyson said.
Tyson said the cuts should lead to more economic activity, mitigating the budget shortfall numbers.
Tyson is a first-term Kansas House member, representing House District 4.
In her first term, Tyson introduced a measure that would essentially prohibit Kansans from recouping more in income tax refunds than they paid.
While there are 17 such programs that offer such an outcome, the one garnering the most publicity is the Earned Income Tax Credit, made available to poorer families.
“There are programs to help those who cannot help themselves” already in place, Tyson said.
Tyson also voiced support for a sales tax holiday for back-to-school shoppers to make Kansas’ border counties more competitive with lower sales tax rates in Missouri.
Tyson was hesitant to support another tax proposal to do away with income taxes altogether, replacing it with an all-encompassing sales tax. The proposal has been described as a “Fair Tax Plan.”
“I’m not sure it works,” she said.
She was uncertain how the tax cuts would affect school funding, but pointed out lawmakers approved a $40 million increase for schools this year.
If elected, Tyson said she would introduce a budget measure to remove “use it or lose it” provisions for state agencies that may be required to make large expenditures at the end of their fiscal years in order to prevent losses in budget authority.
Tyson, 49, works in computer software development. She and her husband, Tim, also operate Tyson Ranch near Parker.
She will face John Coen, Ottawa, in the Aug. 7 primary election. The top vote-getter will go against Democratic challenger Denise Cassells, Mound City.
