Kansas House of Representatives
Volume 2012, Issue 22: October 28, 2012
In This Issue
- Constitutional Amendment on Your Ballot
- Keep in Touch
Constitutional Amendment on Your Ballot
I have had several people inquire about the constitutional amendment
question at the end of this year's ballot. The explanation of vote
written on the ballot reads:
"This amendment would allow the legislature to classify and tax
watercraft upon a basis different from other property.
A vote FOR this proposition would permit the legislature to provide for
separate classification and taxation of watercraft or to exempt such
property from property taxation and impose taxes in lieu thereof.
A vote AGAINST this proposition would continue the taxation of
watercraft in the same manner as all other property."
Then the ballot includes the text of the entire section to show what the
statute would look like if the proposition passed. If you look closely,
there are two italicized words – and watercraft - in the middle of
paragraph (a). These two italicized words are the proposed change.
Some background: Currently boats are taxed in Kansas as personal
property at 30% of their fair market value. Proponents for the
constitutional amendment say that it is much less expensive to register
a boat in the surrounding states, so many Kansans register their boats
elsewhere and Kansas is losing out on the tax revenue. The Kansas
Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) is also a proponent
for the change and has released a press statement urging Kansans to vote
yes. The press release explains that when a Kansan registers their boat
in another state, Wildlife and Parks does not get its registration fee
of $32.50 every 3 years and does not get matching federal funds.
If this proposition is adopted, it is only the first step in changing
the law. The legislature would have to introduce and pass a bill to
change how a boat is taxed. For example, back in 1992, a similar
legislative authorization for "recreational vehicles" was adopted as
part of a constitutional amendment. The Kansas Legislature in 1994
subsequently enacted a new tax system for recreational vehicles where
taxes are based on the weight and the age of the vehicles, rather than
on fair market value.
This is not the first attempt to change the tax rate on boats. A
proposed constitutional amendment (SCR 1629) was placed on the 2000
general election ballot that would have authorized a new tax system for
both watercraft and aircraft. It was defeated by less than 12,000 votes
(433,499 "no" to 421,621 "yes").
There are approximately 85,000 watercraft currently registered with the
Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. KDWPT estimates that
as many as 10,000 Kansans unlawfully register their boats in Oklahoma,
Nebraska and Missouri, because these states do not have a property tax
on watercraft.
Keep in Touch
I am privileged and honored to be your voice in the Kansas Capitol. You
can track my activities on my website www.meier4kansas.com, my Facebook
page www.facebook.com/Meier4Kansas, and Twitter
www.twitter.com/melaniemeier.
If I can ever be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact me at
home or in Topeka. My office in Leavenworth is at 309 Cherokee St. My
Topeka office address is Kansas State Capitol, Topeka, KS 66612. You can
also reach me at the legislative hotline, 1-800-432-3924 or e-mail me at
melanie.meier@house.ks.gov.
If you need to directly contact a particular agency in state government,
you can find useful telephone numbers online at
http://da.state.ks.us/phonebook.
