Republican gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach is proposing capping property appraisal increases at no more than 2 percent a year.
Some experts says Kobach’s suggestion to cap the increases regardless of how much the property increases in actual market value might require a state constitutional amendment.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports Kobach says his plan would make property tax increases more predictable and stable for taxpayers, especially retirees on fixed incomes.
Attorney Linda Terrill, who has worked in tax law for about 40 years, said she believes Kobach’s plan might violate a constitutional amendment requiring a uniform basis of valuation and rate of taxation of all property.
She says capping increases would mean some properties would no longer be valued or taxed at their actual fair market value, while others would be.
