Pub 10 2021 Issue 2

6 President’s Message By Doug Wareham, President and CEO, Kansas Bankers Associat ion Making the Case for Tax Equity M oments before the bill signing ceremony held recently at our State Capital building, where Governor Laura Kelly signed Senate Bill 15 (economic recovery & tax equity) into law, I asked myself the following question: What was the overarching factor that led to achieving state-level tax equity for Kansas banks and their rural/agricultural borrowers? The answer to that question came to me when I witnessed KBA Chairman Jonathon Johnson and other Kansas bankers in attendance interact with Governor Kelly, State Treasurer Lynn Rogers and Republican legislative leaders, including Senate President Ty Masterson, Senate Financial Institutions Chairman Jeff Longbine and House Financial Institutions Chairman Jim Kelly, to name a few. In that brief moment, I was reminded that almost every Kansas policymaker, regardless of party affiliation, recognizes and truly appreciates the critically important role banks and bankers play across our state. While the opinions and priorities of the 165 individual Senators and Representatives that comprise the Kansas Legislature vary greatly, I believe the near-unanimous support for Senate Bill 15 was a testament to the respect earned by banks and bankers that stepped forward this past year to support their customers and communities during one of the most tumultuous periods in our state’s history. The health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19 forced individuals and businesses across Kansas to seek financial advice and financial relief. Most of those Kansans found the financial expertise and support they needed at their local bank. Banks answered the call by providing forbearance, restructuring loans, and helping more than 102,000 Kansas small businesses tap into nearly $7 billion in relief from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)