The Legislature’s top tax expert is retiring from the research department after 34 years.
Chris Courtwright, a veteran of three decades of debates over tax policy at the Capitol, said Monday that he will be retiring as the Legislature’s principal economist this Friday.
Courtwright has been a member of the state’s Consensus Revenue Estimating Group, which provides the revenue forecasts for the governor and the Legislature.
He has been a key adviser to lawmakers on tax policy, walking them through the ins and outs of the implications of tax legislation.
He is the author of Kansas Tax Facts, which is considered the authoritative guide on Kansas state and local tax policy.
In 2004, Courtwright received the President’s Award from the Kansas Government Finance Officers’ Association.
Courtwright, 59, said he has no immediate plans other than to spend time with his family. He said there were some family health issues that required his attention.
“Once this particular session was over, this seemed like a good time to take some time off and that’s what I’m doing.”
Courtwright was keynote speaker at the 2013, 2016 and 2018 Kansas Economic Policy Conference and has made presentations at a number of other major events in recent years, including the Federal Reserve Regional Economic Roundtable and the Journal of Policy History Conference.
He earned bachelor’s degrees in economics, history and journalism from the University of Kansas.
