By ELIOT SILL

Staff writer

Chairman of the County Commission Dan Holub wants to explain something: The Kansas state government is letting taxpayers down.

Under the pretense of encouraging business and job growth, the state legislature has implemented tax cuts that are taking away money from important government programs, Holub said. The state is making up for these losses by passing the financial burden to citizens via local tax increases.

Holub pointed to passed-through profits and ad valorem tax reductions that have withheld funding from local government bodies, causing higher local taxes from schools, cities, and counties.

Holub said he wants to at some point give a public presentation to help people understand the way in which he says the state is siphoning money from local governments and local residents.

“I did the math on a $100,000 home, it was $300 tax increase that the cities counties and school districts took credit for, yet it was caused by the state,” Holub said. “Because we’ve got to operate, and if we don’t have that revenue, we’re screwed.”

Holub reacted harshly to the sentiment expressed in a press release from Senate President Susan Wagle, which said “our top priority is to protect the tax cuts.”

“The tax cuts are what got us here,” Holub said. “They’ve cut spending, but not programs they should have.

“The first thing they do is go after the people that can’t defend themselves.”

The tax cuts are made to encourage businesses to relocate to Kansas. Holub said the state government is making up for a lower tax base by cutting money from schools, Medicare, and KPERS.

“Another thing, nobody’s monitoring whether it works, nobody can tell you if it’s working or not,” he said. “They passed the bill and forgot about it.”