The truth about taxes in Wisconsin

As noted by The Brewtown Gumshoe, taxes here in Wisconsin aren’t as bad as conservatives would have us believe:

  • Wisconsin’s total tax burden is lower than it has been since 1962
  • Wisconsin ranks 26th in total spending and 19th in total taxes and fees
  • When taking Federal aid into account, Wisconsin’s total spending ranks 32nd
  • When only taxes and not fees are considered, Wisconsin ranks 14th
  • Wisconsin has ranked comparatively low in total business taxes ever since the 1970s
  • Governor Doyle has been considerably more frugal than Tommy Thompson (Scott Walker voted for all of Thompson’s budgets)
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3 thoughts on “The truth about taxes in Wisconsin

  1. I really REALLY hope Democrats decide to run on this platform this fall.

  2. We’ve gone back & forth on this one, & I don’t feel like or have time to actually get deep into it, but just cannot resist commenting on this one:

    When only taxes and not fees are considered, Wisconsin ranks 14th

    That’s about the dumbest thing I’ve heard in a couple of days. Fees are a costs to individuals and businesses/organizations in order to pay for government services, why the hell should we just poof! imagine they don’t exist?
    And I’m sure the fact that the state has been dramatically increasing fees in recent years and ignoring this happens to make the numbers look better is just a coincidence, right?

    1. I suppose it depends how “fees” are defined, but it does seem curious to exclude them. For example, is the gas tax considered a “fee” because it is only paid by users of gasoline?

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