KU law alumnus, state budget commissioner makes the case for progressive taxation

LAWRENCE — As the 2016 presidential candidates outline their tax plans and revenue shortfalls prompt Kansans to consider the effects of recent tax cuts, tax policy has become a central issue in this year’s national and state elections. 

A public administrator and University of Kansas School of Law alumnus will examine these themes Thursday at the inaugural Dean Martin Dickinson Tax Policy Lecture. Myron Frans, a 1983 graduate of the KU School of Law and management and budget commissioner for the state of Minnesota, will return to Lawrence to present “Progressive Taxation: Historical Context and Contemporary Examples,” at 4 p.m. Oct. 13 in 104 Green Hall. The lecture is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the event.

Experts regard progressive taxation, a system in which tax rates increase with income, as the most equitable and economically effective tax structure. While some states have developed a more progressive tax structure in recent years, others — including Kansas — have established more regressive policies. Frans will examine the historical case for progressive taxation and share contemporary success stories of progressive tax policies in action.

Myron Frans was appointed commissioner of Minnesota Management & Budget in 2015. He previously served as Minnesota commissioner of revenue and has three decades of private practice experience in tax law. Frans served as president of Leeds Precision Instruments, a company in Golden Valley, Minnesota, that designs, manufactures, and sells forensic microscopes around the world.

The Dean Martin Dickinson Tax Policy Lecture pays tribute to Dickinson’s 48-year legacy of teaching KU Law students and providing excellent analysis of tax policy and changes in tax laws in Kansas and beyond.