Don’t Tell Us There’s Nothing You Can Do!
On April 2, 2022, Representative Mike Dodson told the audience sitting in the library auditorium at the League of Women Voters’ forum:
“ It’s beginning to turn on again, inflation. Most people see this in the grocery store and at the gas pump. There’s not much we can do about that here in Kansas.”
Reps. Sydney Carlin, Mike Dodson and Ron Highland and Sen. Tom Hawk address voters at the LWV forum on April 2, 2022.
I call B.S.
There was plenty the Kansas Legislature could’ve done, but they put politics before people.
For starters, they could’ve reinstated the property tax relief fund that was established in the 1930s but has gone unfunded for the past 20 years. This would’ve tamped down the rise in mill levies that had us all aghast when we opened our 2022 Notice of Estimated Ad Valorem Taxes last month.
Or how about this, since Mr. Dodson recognized the higher grocery prices we’re all paying: HOW ABOUT CUTTING THE FOOD TAX TO 0% ON JULY 1, 2022?
ZERO PERCENT.
Nope. Instead of giving us an immediate relief on our grocery bill, Mr. Dodson voted NO.
I guess he didn’t think we needed help with our food bills.
Perhaps Mr. Dodson forgot what it’s like feeding a family, especially children who can eat our fridges empty on days. Perhaps Mr. Dodson forgot the sticker shock of having to pack school lunches and snacks - especially after a year of having free federal school lunches. Oh, yeah, and since we’re no longer receiving our $300/month checks (for some, $200 depending on your child’s age) that came off our federal tax credit, it hurts extra when that total comes up at the Dillons cash register.
I’ve been tracking what I’ve paid in taxes on my food bills since July 1st.
So far, as of today, September 12th, I’ve paid $114.57 in taxes.
I sure could’ve used that money elsewhere these last two months.
The Republican caucus pressured their members to vote NO on immediately eliminating the food tax to ZERO.
Instead of helping working Kansan families, Mr. Dodson opted for politics.
Actually, instead of helping any Kansan who, you know, eats food…he put his political career first.
Shameful.
We deserve better.