If Charlotte O’Hara is elected as the next governor of Kansas, don’t expect the state to utilize tax incentives like it has under Gov. Laura Kelly.
A Republican who has previously served as both a state representative and a Johnson County commissioner, O’Hara told KCUR's Up To Date she strongly disagreed with giving out large tax incentives for projects like the Kansas City Chiefs' planned new stadium and the Panasonic plant in De Soto.
“We have a two-tier property tax system: We have the property taxes that most all of us pay, but then the well-connected have an entirely much lower rate because of all the tax incentives,” she said.
During her campaign, O’Hara has also pushed for radical changes to the education system in Kansas. She supports the state no longer accepting federal money for K-12 education, arguing that the cost of complying with federal oversight is not worth it.
O'Hara has said she wants to dismantle the Kansas Department of Education as well.
“My message is the only way that we are going to improve our schools is to put all of the curriculum decisions at the local level and have community schools,” she said. “The cost is going to be a lot less without all of the state oversight.”
However, O’Hara also wants to eliminate property taxes, which has been a major financial burden for many Kansas homeowners but also provides a significant funding source for schools around the state. She believes that funding can be replaced by a use tax instead.
Up To Date has also reached out to the campaigns of Republican gubernatorial candidates Ty Masterson, Philip Sarnecki and Scott Schwab but have not yet heard back. Discussions to interview Vicki Schmidt are ongoing.
- Charlotte O’Hara, Republican candidate for Kansas governor
