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REFERENDUM ON WHERE KANSAS CITY STANDS ON THIS ISSUE. LET'S MOVE TO KANSAS NOW.
WHILE YOU WON'T BE VOTING FOR ANY UNITED STATES SENATORS, GOVERNORS OR ANY BIG STATE
OFFICE HOLDERS, NOT TO BE LEFT OUT, YOU DO HAVE A STATEWIDE BALLOT ISSUE TO DECIDE INVOLVING
THE TAXING OF BOATS. OKAY. IT'S NOT THE BIGGEST ISSUE IN
THE WORLD, BUT YOU MAY BE LEFT SCRATCHING YOUR HEAD WHEN YOU WALK INTO YOUR LOCAL POLLING
STATION TUESDAY AND SEE THIS MASSIVE, AND I MEAN MASSIVE ONE PAGE BALLOT QUESTION ON THE
TAXATION OF WATERCRAFT IN THE SUNFLOWER STATE. SHOULD YOUR NEIGHBOR WITH A
SPEEDBOAT OR FISHING BOAT GET A TAX BREAK? CURRENTLY A KINK IN THE LAW
MEANS BOATS IN KANSAS ARE TAXED SO MUCH HIGHER THAN OTHER FORMS OF PROPERTY THAT MANY BOAT
OWNERS JUST REGISTER THEIR BOATS IN MISSOURI OR OKLAHOMA. THIS AMENDMENT FIXES THAT.
ACCORDING TO BACKERS, A 20,000-DOLLAR BOAT IN OKLAHOMA CARRIES A 150-DOLLAR PROPERTY
TAX BILL BUT IS TAXED AT ABOUT $750 IN KANSAS. THE RESULT?
THERE ARE 20,000 FEWER BOATS REGISTERED IN KANSAS THAN THERE WERE A DECADE AGO.
SO WHAT? SOME PEOPLE MAY SAY TUESDAY. WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT THAT,
DAVE? WELL, YOU SHOULD CARE ONLY BECAUSE THE TAX CODE IS A LITTLE
CONFUSING IN KANSAS. IF YOU HAVE A BOAT OR YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO HAS A BOAT AND YOU
THINK HE OR SHE SHOULD PAY LESS IN TAX, YOU'D VOTE YES. I'M NOT SURE IT'S SOMETHING
THAT'S GOING TO OCCUPY A LOT OF TIME EVEN THOUGH IT'S A LENGTHY BALLOT MEASURE.
IT IS REALLY PUSHED BY RECREATIONAL BOAT DEALERS AND RECREATIONAL AREAS.
KANSAS ISN'T A GREAT SPOT FOR BOATING, SO I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH PEOPLE ARE FIXATED ON THIS.
THEY'RE NOT ONE PERCENTERS BECAUSE IT WOULD AFFECT SMALL THINGS LIKE CANOES AND SMALL
FISHING VESSELS. THESE ARE NOT JUST LUXURY BOATS?
IT'S NOT JUST LUXURY BOATS. IT'S QUITE A BIT OF MONEY THEY FEEL THEY LOSE TO MISSOURI AND
OKLAHOMA. IT'S A QUIRK IN THE LAW THAT RV'S AND CARS AND OTHER THINGS
IN THAT NATURE ARE SEPARATED OUT AND TAXED AT A LOWER RATE WHERE THE BOATS GO IN AS OTHER
PROPERTY, SO IT COMES TO A HIGHER MARKET VALUE. STATE IS LOSING QUITE A BIT OF
REVENUE. CAN I JUST ALSO SAY VERY QUICKLY, WE SHOULD PAY ATTENTION
TO THIS, NICK, IN PART, BECAUSE PROPERTY IS CLASSIFIED DIFFERENTLY IN THE STATE OF
KANSAS FOR TAXATION PURPOSES. NOT JUST BOATS, RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY VERSUS AGRICULTURAL
PROPERTY, COMMERCIAL PROPERTY. THEY'RE ALL CLASSIFIED DIFFERENTLY.
IF PROPERTY TAXES BECOME A HUGE ISSUE IN KANSAS, WHICH IS POSSIBLE WHEN THE NEW TAX CODES
GO INTO EFFECT NEXT YEAR, THOSE CLASSIFICATIONS COULD BECOME PART OF A LARGER DEBATE OVER HOW
PROPERTY IS TAXED IN THE STATE. THIS MAY BE THE CAMEL'S NOSE IN THE TENT ON THAT ISSUE OF
CLASSIFICATION IN KANSAS, WHICH IS A HUGE POLITICAL ISSUE, AND 20 YEARS AGO WAS THE BIGGEST
ISSUE IN THE ENTIRE STATE. WITH NO STATE OFFICE HOLDERS ON THE BALLOT AND THIS BEING THE
ONLY STATE ISSUE ON THE BALLOT, IS IT ANY WONDER THAT KRIS KOBACH, THE KANSAS SECRETARY OF
STATE PREDICTING THE LOWEST PERCENTAGE OF KANSAS VOTERS GOING TO THE POLLS ON TUESDAY
SINCE 2000? IT'S NOT REALLY A SURPRISE. THE PRESIDENTIAL ISN'T
COMPETITIVE. YOU DO HAVE COMPETITIVE IN SOME PLACES, STATE LEGISLATURE RACES,
PARTICULARLY IN OUR AREA. THAT MAY INCREASE TURNOUT A LITTLE BIT.
BUT FRANKLY THEY'RE JUST NOT A VISIBLE. THEY DON'T GET PEOPLE QUITE AS
EXCITED. I WILL SAY THE TURNOUT FOR EARLY VOTING HAS BEEN PRETTY STRONG IN
OUR AREA. THAT SUGGESTS THAT THERE IS MORE INTEREST IN THIS ELECTION THAN
THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN 2010. BUT THAT'S IN LOCAL RACES. RIGHT, RIGHT, EXACTLY RIGHT.
BECAUSE THE PRESIDENTIAL, I THINK, PEOPLE SORT OF UNDERSTAND MITT ROMNEY IS CLEARLY THE
FAVORITE IN THE STATE OF KANSAS. WE HEAD BACK TO MISSOURI NOW AS PRESIDENT OBAMA AND MITT