Northern Kentucky’s Chris McDaniel will serve as co-chair of a task force to review, examine and analyze Kentucky’s tax expenditures during the 2018 legislative interim session.
The group will have its first meeting Thursday, June 28, at 3 p.m. in room 154 of the Capitol Annex.
The Tax Expenditures Task Force will take a comprehensive look at improving and expanding tax reform, including closing tax loopholes and ending outdated provisions. The task force was formed by Speaker Pro Tempore David Osborne and Senate President Robert Stivers in April.
Chris McDaniel
“Perfecting Kentucky’s tax codes will be a tremendous task,” said Rep. Ken Fleming, co-chair of the group. “This group will take an intense and thorough look at the state’s tax codes in order to determine what’s best and fair for all Kentuckians.”
In 2018, the Kentucky General Assembly passed landmark tax reform legislation which included implementing a flat income and business tax of 5 percent, which reduced the tax burden for most Kentuckians. The tax reform package also propelled Kentucky from 33rd to 18th on the Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index.
“There was great progress made on tax reform during the 2018 legislative session,” said Rep. Osborne, R-Prospect. “However, there is still much more work to be done and I’m confident that this group will lead the charge to expanded, fair tax reform.”
The members of the Tax Expenditures Task Force are:
Senator Chris McDaniel, R-Kenton (Co-Chair)
Senator David Givens, R-Greensburg
Senator Wil Schroder, R-Wilder
Senator Dennis Parrett, D-Elizabethtown
Senator Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville
Representative Ken Fleming, R-Louisville (Co-Chair)
Representative Jason Petrie, R-Elkton
Representative Diane St. Onge, R-Fort Wright
Representative Steven Rudy, R-Paducah (Ex officio/non-voting)
Representative James Tipton, R-Taylorsville
Representative Susan Westrom, D-Lexington
Representative Jim Wayne, D-Louisville
“As chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and Revenue, I value this task force’s research, deliberations, and recommendations for updating Kentucky’s antiquated tax structure,” Sen. McDaniel said. “I look forward to seeing its final products and to using these bipartisan recommendations in crafting forward-thinking tax reform legislation in upcoming sessions.”
The group will meet at least once a month. By the end of December, the task force will determine the validly of Kentucky’s tax expenditures and sunset provisions. The task force will also issue a report, which may be used as the basis for legislation proposed in the 2019 legislative session.
“Modernizing Kentucky’s tax code is paramount to economic development and job creation and is imperative to the well-being of every Kentuckian,” Sen. Stivers said. “We must identify areas in our tax code that are in most need of updating to ensure Kentucky remains economically competitive on a national level while keeping individual rates low. Keeping these two goals in mind, I look forward to this task force’s final report.”
