Arkansas House gives final OK to $97M tax cut plan

FILE - Gov. Asa Hutchinson (left) is joined by House Speaker Matthew Shepherd on Jan. 30 as he announces his “5.9 plan” for cutting income-tax rates.
FILE - Gov. Asa Hutchinson (left) is joined by House Speaker Matthew Shepherd on Jan. 30 as he announces his “5.9 plan” for cutting income-tax rates.

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas House has given final legislative approval to the Republican governor's $97 million plan to cut the state's top income tax rate.

The House voted Thursday 82-14 in favor of Gov. Asa Hutchinson's proposal to cut the state's top income tax rate from 6.9 percent to 5.9 percent over the next two years. The measure needed at least 75 votes in the 100-member House to pass.

[RELATED: Complete Democrat-Gazette coverage of the Arkansas Legislature]

The measure had faced resistance from some GOP lawmakers heading into Thursday's vote. Democrats have complained that the tax cut's benefits are heavily skewed toward the state's richest taxpayers.

The bill was approved by the Senate last week and now heads to Hutchinson's desk.

Check back for updates and read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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