Author

Chris W. Courtwright
Chris W. Courtwright, currently a member of Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s Council on Tax Reform, retired in July after 34 years as the Kansas Legislature’s Principal Economist and member of the prestigious Consensus Revenue Estimating Group. The author of "Kansas Tax Facts," considered the authoritative guide on Kansas state and local tax policy, Courtwright was keynote speaker at the 2013, 2016 and 2018 Kansas Economic Policy Conferences and has given presentations at the Federal Reserve Regional Economic Roundtable and the Journal of Policy History Conference.
‘Trigger’ for tax cuts would tie hands of Kansas policymakers, harm response to future crises
By: Chris W. Courtwright - March 29, 2023
Kansas tax discussions this legislative session have included a “trigger” concept — a formulaic statutory mechanism that automatically triggers future income tax rate cuts based on growth in receipts. One frustration is that no one knows what language may emerge on the back of a cocktail napkin at 2 a.m. during the veto session to […]
Flat tax would have catastrophic consequences for Kansans. We’ve already seen it happen.
By: Chris W. Courtwright and Anthony Hensley - February 1, 2023
Even with the damage of Sam Brownback’s failed tax “experiment” visible in the rear-view mirror, the Kansas Chamber and others have begun pushing for a “flat” (one-rate) income tax, significantly benefiting wealthy individuals and large multinational corporations at the expense of working-class Kansans. Perhaps they think people have forgotten that the 2012 Brownback tax experiment […]
To recover from COVID, Congress must return more of our money to Kansas and its local governments
By: Chris W. Courtwright - January 5, 2021
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Chris W. Courtwright spent 34 years as the Kansas Legislature’s principal economist and is the author of “Kansas Tax Facts.” Even as the latest COVID-19 federal […]
Without federal help, Kansas faces ‘nasty cocktail’ of budget choices next year
By: Chris W. Courtwright - September 24, 2020
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Chris W. Courtwright spent 34 years as the Kansas Legislature’s principal economist and is the author of “Kansas Tax Facts.” In the wake of a wild […]