TOPEKA (AP) – Reducing income and sales taxes requires Kansas legislators to have faith that the cuts will stimulate economic growth as advertised, as even the most solid projections
involve some guesswork.

A disagreement last week between the Legislature’s nonpartisan staff and Republican Governor Sam Brownback’s administration over those projections obscured a reality in state government – that forecasting state revenues and spending is difficult and even foolhardy.

In pushing lawmakers to cut income taxes, Brownback has argued that the expected increase in economic activity and hiring by private companies also will benefit the state treasury. Many
members of the Republican-controlled Legislature agree.

But even positive forecasts, ones without budget shortfalls into 2018, aren’t enough to reassure skeptical colleagues, who can find plenty of issues in the numbers.