WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, America First Works (AFW) encourages the Kansas State Legislature to override Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of legislation that would opt the state in to the federal education freedom tax credit.
“This is a common-sense tax credit that empowers parents, expands opportunity, and costs the state nothing. By not opting in, Kansas’ taxpayers will still fund scholarships, but those dollars will go to students in other states. There’s no reason to leave Kansas families behind. This policy is about putting parents in charge and making sure every child has access to the education that works best for them,” said Stephanie Whitt, Director of State Action at America First Works.
The federal Education Freedom Tax Credit created in the Working Families Tax Cut Act gives states an exceptional opportunity to expand educational freedom. The law allows taxpayers to claim up to $1,700 in dollar-for-dollar (100%) federal tax credits for contributions to nonprofit Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). However, SGOs can only provide scholarships to students in states that affirmatively elect to participate.
This is the first time the federal government has established a tax credit incentivizing K-12 scholarships and is a historic step toward school choice for every student in every state. According to the America First Policy Institute’s recently released scholarship calculator, Kansas families could be foregoing up to $420 million in scholarship funds representing 75,000 student scholarships. 28 states that have already committed to participate in this tax credit, allowing their residents to make the most of these funds. Kansas families should be no different.