Thursday, July 07, 2016

Kansas can now charge to apply for incentive program to move to rural areas, but won't, for now

Kansas can now charge people to apply for an incentive program that encourages recent college graduates to move to the state's rural areas, Jonathan Shorman reports for The Topeka Capital-Journal. A new law allows the Kansas Department of Commerce to charge up to $750 to apply for the state's Rural Opportunity Zones program, which offers $15,000 in loan debt repayment, and in some cases waives income tax for up to five years. The Commerce Department said the fees are meant to offset administrative costs, and it will not charge people who apply for the incentive.

Fees will be charged, beginning Oct. 1, for other state programs, such as Promoting Employment Across Kansas Program, High Performance Incentive Program, Job Creation Fund, Angel Investor Tax Credits and Kansas Industrial Training and Retraining programs, Shorman writes. There is still the possibility that a fee could be added to the incentive program at a later date, a move supported by at least one state leader. Sen. Julia Lynn (R-Olathe) who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, told Shorman. “If there were some nominal fee, I don’t think that should deter anybody." (Read more)

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