Well, whaddya know?
The conservative Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance reluctantly reports:
MADISON—New Census Bureau figures show Wisconsin state-local taxes were sixth highest in the nation during fiscal 2004. According to the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX), which produced the new rankings, this continues a modest downward trend: The state was third in 1999, fourth in 2000, and fifth in 2002.Modest downward trend? From third to sixth in six years? You know, we only pass a state budget every two years. Every time there's a new budget, Wisconsin drops a notch. There's more:
WISTAX also examined taxes on a per capita basis. State-local taxes here were $3,714 per person, or 7.7% above the U.S. average ($3,447), and 12th highest in the country. Wisconsin per capita personal income is below the national average, so per capita tax rankings are usually lower than those based on income.If you look hard enough, you can find other measures that are more negative. But it hardly supports the hysteria about taxes that seems to drive conservative public policy in the state.
posted by xoff @ 12:14 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
So, then... we should put the Democrats in the majority so you can reverse the trend?
Is that what you are getting at? We need to stop the erosion in your ratings?
Certainly you are not arguing that being 6th or 12th is a good thing... are you?
Maybe you should - just for perspective - take a look at our ranking for per-capita income too.
What you will find is that we are below the middle. So not only do we pay more, but we make less. Great life here in Wisconsin.
"Modest downward trend? From third to sixth in six years? You know, we only pass a state budget every two years. Every time there's a new budget, Wisconsin drops a notch."
It would then take 38 years (19 biennial budgets) to get down to the median. Isn't that a rather modest downward trend?
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