by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Sumner Newscow has been getting inquiries concerning a lengthy Kansas Boat Tax Amendment proposal that is placed on tomorrow’s ballot.

In a nutshell this is a proposed constitutional amendment would would allow the state’s property tax on boats to be altered.

Specifically, the amendment would allow the Kansas state legislators to clarify and tax watercraft on a basis different from other property. The measure would not change how watercraft is taxed in the state, but rather it would allow for a change to be made. 

It was proposed during the 2012 state legislative session. A similar measure was on the 2000 statewide ballot, but was rejected with 50.7 percent of the voters against it.

According to Scott Hanzlicek with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, said on a KSN-TV website that “We are losing more and more boats, people are registering more and more boats in other states so we are losing more and more revenue every year.

” I think everyone is usually pretty much in favor of lowering taxes…This vote doesn’t lower taxes or anything like that, it allows the legislature to change the way the taxes are collected on boats, and they may decide not to do anything, but it just gives them the power to do that.”