August 8, 2025
For years, I have sounded the alarm on tax incentives decimating Kansas’ tax base. More recently in 2022 I fought the ill-advised Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion (APEX) bill which gave Panasonic $829 million in state tax incentives. I opposed De Soto handing Panasonic an additional $200 million in tax incentives and now the viability of the project is very questionable as the demand for lithium batteries has plummeted with President Trump slashing tax subsidies for EVs.
As a commissioner, I voted no on giving a Chinese company, Cnano, property tax incentives at New Century AirCenter of 30 cents a sq ft. or approximately 12% of what they should be paying. Also, with the IRB, Cnano was exempt from sales tax on construction materials, another $1.7 million stolen from you.
I watched Sprint and Cerner as they were showered with tax incentives. Where are they? Gone, as is Boeing in Wichita and other companies. The Century Link Building in New Century now sits empty and is costing taxpayers $1.5 million annually simply to mothball it. Star Bonds take at least 50% of sales tax revenue from public coffers to finance dubious projects, such as Prairie Fire at 135th and Nall, which has defaulted on their bonds.
The insanity began with the passage of two constitutional amendments in 1986: Reclassification and Equalization approved in the November General election that year (which was the genesis of annual reappraisal) and Economic Development approved in the August primary, which opened the gates wide for ever increasing tax giveaways to the fat cats. As the JoCo Appraiser stated, “every incentive given shifts the tax burden to someone else”. That someone is you and me.
Proof that tax incentives do not work? In 1988, 47% of all property taxes came from residential property. Now, 70% of all property taxes come from residential property, a stunning 50% increase. In 2024 $108 million was diverted from JoCo public coffers just in property tax incentives. This represents approximately 25% of the total property tax revenue from commercial/industrial properties. This data is from the 5/1/2025 JoCo BOCC Committee of the Whole and Johnson County’s 2024 tax certification.
The great 40-year experiment of expanding the tax base by doling out corporate welfare has failed. The theory was that eventually everyone’s property taxes would go down by broadening the tax base. Instead, our property taxes have skyrocketed while Kansas has lost nearly 200,000 residents due to domestic out migration since 2000, according to the Sentinel, April 17, 2025 article. Additionally, Kansas is 48th in fiscal health according to the CNBC ranking with a grade of F!! Yet BOTH the Republican and Democrat status quo continues to dole out tax incentive goodies.
New projects receiving tax incentives: Black and Veatch, $227 million and Fiserve, $155 million. Please note that Fiserve has a VP of Global Tax Incentives. And next the Chiefs and Royals- a Star Bond black hole. I’m sure you now get the picture.
Now you understand why Kansas is the high tax point on the prairie. Our property tax average rate is 1.26% of the value of our homes. In Missouri that rate is .82 and in Oklahoma .75, Kansas is 50% higher.
Why aren’t other gubernatorial candidates talking about this? Because nearly all of them support corporate welfare. Examples: Ty Masterson was praised by Governor Kelly for his fast tracking the APEX nearly billion-dollar Panasonic giveaway. Jeff Colyer, June 13, 2024 called the Star Bond scam of, “Moving Chiefs to Kansas a big economic win”. Scott Schwab has never spoken in opposition to tax incentives and Joy Eakins was chairwoman of the Wichita Regional Chamber in 2023 which has a long history of pushing tax incentives. Also, the Chamber’s legislative agenda that year included support for DEI.
YOUR property taxes and corporate welfare/tax incentives are tied together. The more the fat cats get the more your property taxes increase. Each person and or corporation must pay their fair share. Equal protection under the law is a foundational right. We have tried economic development for 40 years, picking and choosing winners and losers, it does not work.
What are we going to do? Elect a strong conservative governor who will, as President Trump has done, END the free ride of tax incentives. Elect a governor who understands that the fleecing of taxpayers must stop. Elect a governor who will fight for you, not the fat cats. The fat cats have many reasons to fund local and state politicians. Those politicians (my opponents) funded by the fat cats are the ones who open wide the gates of corporate welfare for the well connected.
Kansas Common Sense, I will fight for YOU.
Paid for by O’Hara For Kansas, Lisa Huesers Treasurer