Governor's Column: A Common-Sense Move to Create Jobs
Governor's Column: A Common-Sense Move to Create Jobs
The following is a column by Governor Kathleen Sebelius:
Kansas has been fortunate to experience 20 straight months of job growth, but I'm not satisfied. We need to keep our economy growing and creating even more new, good jobs.
We can do that by encouraging businesses to invest in new equipment and new technology.
That's why I'm proposing a common-sense move to spur job creation in Kansas: eliminating the property tax on new business equipment.
Business owners have repeatedly brought to my attention their need to invest in new equipment and technology. But the current Kansas machinery and equipment personal property tax is a barrier to those investments.
We should encourage businesses to invest in new equipment and new technology to keep pace with rapid changes in the market.
That's why I am calling on the Legislature to exempt from property taxes all commercial and industrial machinery and equipment purchased after January 1, 2007.
Eliminating property taxes on new equipment will encourage investment in Kansas businesses.
And in addition to encouraging existing businesses, it will also be a wonderful incentive for businesses to start up or relocate in Kansas.
This is a first step we can take right away and not cause a shift of the tax burden onto homeowners and farm families.
It will encourage business improvements without jeopardizing state and local investments in schools, roads and safety.
I call on the Legislature to pass it quickly, and I hope employers and employees will join me in encouraging legislators to take this common-sense step.
I also plan to work with the business community on a timetable for expanding this tax relief to more businesses in the coming years so we can continue to encourage Kansas businesses to grow and create jobs.
The Kansas economy is growing, but in a world where we compete not just with Colorado and Missouri, but also China and Malaysia, we must always look for was to make Kansas an even more attractive place to do business.
http://www.ksgovernor.org/news/docs/col121305a.html