A tax cut for everybody except the poor?

Poor people in Kansas would pay more in taxes while everybody else in the state would see a tax cut under a Kansas House measure. State Republicans say by eliminating income taxes for residents and small businesses, lowering the sales tax and eliminating numerous tax credits, the state would have more money and in turn spur economic growth, the Los Angeles Times reported. Under a House tax committee bill, anyone making less than $25,000 a year -- about 500,000 of the state's 2.8 million residents -- would pay an average of $72 more in taxes. Those making more than $250,000 -- about 21,000 people -- would get a $1,500 tax cut, The Kansas City Star reported, citing Department of Revenue estimates. Higher taxes for poor residents would result from eliminating tax credits that typically benefit the poor. "It's been Robin Hood in reverse," Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat, told the Star in January. "What we are doing is stealing from the poor to give to the rich." Arthur Laffer, a central figure in the development of so-called supply-side economics -- often referred to as Reaganomics -- is receiving $75,000 for consulting work on the Kansas plan. When challenged about elimination of an earned-income tax credit for single mothers, Laffer said the best form of welfare is a high-paying job, the Star said.