Tom Sawyer

 Tom Sawyer feels that the State Budget should reflect our values.  He feels that the State should budget more like a family:  A family lives within its means while taking care of its children and seniors.

Tom also feels that the State should pay its debts off during the good times so that we don't have to raise taxes or cut vital programs during the bad times.

During his years in the legislature, Tom Sawyer has consistently fought to lower taxes on the middle classand senior citizens.

Now he is fighting to implement a Property Tax Lid to keep our Property taxes from going higher and when it becomes economically feasible, he will fight to eliminate the sales tax on food.  Based on his great record of cutting taxes, he will get the job done!

Cutting Property Taxes-  U

In 1992, Tom Sawyer led the effort that cut our property taxes in Wichita by

 29%. 

Cutting Car Taxes-   I

 In 1994, Tom Sawyer had a plan to cut our car taxes in half over 5 years.  Thanks

 to his and others leadership, we now pay 50% less in car taxes than we used to pay!

More Property Tax Relief for Homeowners-

Tom Sawyer led the effort in 1996 that gave us the Homestead exemption, which cut every homeowners

 property taxes.  He also helped pass a plan that reduced the state-wide property tax mill levy from 35

 mills to 20 mills!

Lowering Income Taxes for Struggling Working Families-  In 1998, Tom Sawyer led the effort to

 increase the personal exemption for all Kansans and to implement an Earned Income Tax Credit in

 Kansas.  The Kansas Earned Income Tax Credit cut the income taxes for all families making less than

 $35,000 a year.  In 2007 he helped pass a law that increases this tax cut by 13%!

Providing Tax Relief for Struggling Seniors-  In 1998, Tom Sawyer also led the effort to double the

 sales tax refund and greatly increase the Homestead Tax Refunds provided to people over 55 and

families struggling to make ends meet.  In 2007, He helped pass another bill that increased the Homestead Refunds again!

Getting rid of Unfair Taxes- 

In 2004 the Legislature passed a new tax on people who sold their old cars, Some people even had to pay

 more in tax than they paid for the car.  The value that the tax was based on had nothing to do with the

 sales price of the car, it was based on a table set by the state.  Tom Sawyer fought to repeal this unfair tax,

 getting refunds for thousands of Kansans.

Protecting the Homestead Exemption-

In 2006, Tom Sawyer helped defeat an effort to kill the Homestead Exemption.  Killing the Homestead

Exemption would have raised our property taxes.  Tom Sawyer led the effort in 1996 which gave us the

 Homestead Exemption.  He wasn't about to let it die.

Ending the State Taxation of Social Security Benefits for most Kansans-  In 2007, Tom Sawyer helped pass a bill

that eliminates Kansas income tax on Social Security Benefits for all seniors with an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less!

Over $1 billion in tax cuts supported by Tom Sawyer and enacted into law just since 2005-

Including 3 of the tax cuts listed above (Repeal of the sales tax on clunkers, ending the state income tax on Social Security

benefits and increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit) Tom Sawyer has supported over $1 billion in tax cuts that have been

enacted into law just since 2005 alone.  Many of these tax cuts are being phased in over several years, but once they are all fully

implemented in 2013, the accumulated total of just these tax cuts will total over $1 billion.

 Fighting to Put a Lid on Property Taxes-

Today Tom Sawyer is leading the fight to pass a Property Tax Lid to keep our property taxes from going

 higher.

Fighting to End the Sales Tax on Food-

Tom Sawyer has long called for the elimination of the sales tax on food.  When the economy improves, he

 will once again push to eliminate this unfair tax.