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H 17°, L 4°(AP) - The call to consider higher taxes to solve Wisconsin’s budget shortfall continues to grow.
More than 60 advocacy groups held a news conference Tuesday to argue that cutting the state budget without raising taxes will devastate programs helping the poor, children, the elderly, those with disabilities and others.
Groups representing children and families, counties and cities, school administrators, the mentally ill and others were among those calling for targeted tax increases, rather than just budget cuts, to solve the state’s $6.6 billion budget shortfall.
Their message came a day after the president of the state’s largest teachers union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council, urged policy makers to consider higher taxes rather than cutting school aid.
The calls come as Gov. Jim Doyle and Democratic leaders of the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee meet in secret to hammer out a deal. The committee was expected to meet publicly this week but had no meetings planned through Wednesday.
Doyle’s spokesman Lee Sensenbrenner said he couldn’t speculate when a deal would be reached.
Doyle has shown he’s willing to raise taxes to solve the budget problem. He has proposed $1.7 billion tax and fee increases but no general sales or income tax hikes.
The Legislature has approved Doyle’s plans to raise taxes on multistate corporations, Internet downloads and specialized computer software. It also passed a tax on hospitals, which will be reimbursed by the federal government.
Other tax increases remain to be considered. They include creating a new income tax bracket for those earning more than $225,000 a year or $300,000 for married couples; raising the tax on capital gains; increasing the per-pack tax on cigarettes by 75 cents; and imposing a new tax on big oil company profits.
Since Doyle released his budget plan, the deepening recession and a severe drop-off in tax collections added another $1.6 billion to the budget shortfall.
Doyle said earlier this month that he will not propose raising any more taxes to solve that gap. The advocacy groups’ arguments won’t make him change his mind, Sensenbrenner said.
“He’s said this is a national recession that is causing us all to make hard, painful decisions that will require sacrifices on everyone’s part,” he said.
Instead, the governor has warned that state agencies, school aid and aid to counties could be cut by 5 percent or more. He also proposed 16 days of furlough for state workers and layoffs affecting up to 1,100.
The threat of more cuts has those on the chopping block lobbying for other alternatives.
“We need to take a balanced approach that includes spending reductions and targeted revenue increases,” Fond du Lac County Executive Allen Buechel said Tuesday. “We simply cannot cut our way out of the crisis.”
Buechel said counties are already struggling to provide essential services to families and others. He said there’s an unprecedented demand on those programs.
Buechel did not say which taxes he thought should be increased.
The Wisconsin Council on Children and Families lists a number of possibilities on its Web site, including increasing capital gains taxes, restoring the estate tax, beefing up tax collection efforts and eliminating the property tax exemption for business computers.
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Also by Associated Press:
- UW ends $425k deal with MillerCoors, Anheuser-Busch (August 26, 2009)
- UPDATED: CFACT may sue UW if its funding isn't restored (June 29, 2009)
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IP hash: 9c771276
Great! This should drive more tax payers out of the state.
But don’t worry, maybe tax eaters will move in to replace them.
IP hash: 9c771276
If the Democrats would just pay their taxes…
Soak the Rich, Lose the Rich Americans know how to use the moving van to escape high taxes
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124260067214828295.html
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I think you can expect articles like this soon, only for Wisconsin.
ADIOS, NEW YORK TAXED OUT OF THE STATE
Politicians like to talk about incentives — for businesses to relocate, for example, or to get folks to buy local. After reviewing the new budget, I have identified the most compelling incentive of all: a major tax break immedi ately available to all New Yorkers. To be eligible, you need do only one thing: move out of New York state.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/05202009/postopinion/opedcolumnists/adios_newyork_170074.htm
IP hash: fcf7c07d
Take a lesson from California: The Tax Revolt Is ON! The villagers have had it with the unrepentent Tax and Spend Bureaucrats, be they Doyle, Schwartzennegger, or “I Believe In Wealth Redistribution” Obama. The villagers are gathering their torches and pitchforks and nothing will save the deficit spending monsters from their wrath!
The current Cap And Trade effort to “control CO2 emmissions” by the Obama administration is a huge tax on every person in America, used for his political and financial control purposes. Most forms of energy used by Americas (coal, oil, natural gas, propane, alcohol, wood)will be directly and heavily taxed, based on their “carbon footprint”. These taxes get passed on directly to every person in America.
The euphemisticly named “renewable energy sources” (wind mills, solar cells, etc.)all require large energy investments to manufacture them. The energy required to manufacture them will be taxed and the costs passed on to every American. The inefficiencies of wind and solar power will require heavy government subsidies to provide an illusion of competitiveness with conventional energy sources, futher misdirecting the taxpayers dollars and wasting valuable capital resources. Because the wind does not always blow and the sun does not always shine, we must still have conventional energy sources available to supply 100% of energy demand at any time, lest hospitals and homes be powerless during deep cold periods in the Wisconsin winter.
Mr Obama claimed that 95% of American citizens would not have their taxes raised by his administration. His eager pursuit of Cap and Trade tax legislation clearly demonstrates his open dishonesty. Cap and Trade adds massive tax burdens to all Americans.
Schwartzenegger, “The Govenator of Caliafornia” is experiencing the over taxed villagers wrath now. The good citizens of Wisconsin need to similarly gather their torches and pitchforks and proceed to Govenor Doyle’s residence to make it clear we have had enough of this crap.
An then, On to Washington DC!