TOPEKA — Lawmakers on Tuesday debated the merits of a flat tax proposal that would lower revenues by an estimated $1.5 billion annually and disproportionately benefit the state’s wealthiest residents.

Rep. Christina Haswood, a Lawrence Democrat, questioned during a House committee hearing why the Legislature should favor the flat tax over more equitable tax cut proposals. Democrats, including Gov. Laura Kelly, favor the immediate elimination of the sales tax on food, feminine hygiene products and back-to-school supplies.

Adam Proffitt, the state budget director, estimated that the proposal would decrease the state’s general fund revenue by $428 million in fiscal year 2024, and then by $1.452 billion and $1.541 billion in the next two fiscal years.

The Kansas Reflector asked the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonprofit that provides research on state and federal tax policies, for an analysis of the legislation. The institute calculated that 49% of the individual income tax reduction would go to the richest 20% of Kansans. The state’s bottom 20% of earners would get about 4.1% of the tax reduction.