County Supervisors Pushing for Sales Tax
We just got a flyer in the mail from the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, pushing for the passage of a one cent Milwaukee sales tax.
This has been a huge issue in Milwaukee, and we’ve let other bloggers (and conservative talk radio) cover it, but the blatant electioneering of the flyer was something we couldn’t overlook.
The flyer skirts rules against electioneering by stopping just short of a “call to action” in favor of the tax. But the language is intentionally misleading.
It promises readers a 27% reduction in property taxes.
Just who believes that? Let’s see the hands? Oh . . . there is a liberal blogger over in the corner with his hand raised? Hey . . . guy, I want to talk to you about some beachfront property in Arizona that I can sell you.
County Supervisor Joe Rice has been the driving force behind opposition to the tax increase, leading a group that includes Mark Borkowski, Paul Cesarz, and Joe Sanfelippo. The rest of the Supervisors are either supporting it, or wanting a signal that their constituents will let them get away with voting for it.
We reached Supervisor Rice, and he pointed out that any actual decrease in property taxes is unlikely, as the experience with the last sales tax increase in 1991 shows.
The wording of the referendum is quite simply dishonest. It asks whether Milwaukee County will have the “authority to provide tax relief of at least sixty-seven million dollars.” Nothing requires the Supervisors to do that. And of course, we all know how these games are played. If you currently pay $1,200 in County property tax, and all the spending the bureaucrats and politicians want would bring your bill to $1,400, and the budget is “slashed” such that you end up paying $1,300, voilà, you have gotten $100 in tax relief!
Rice has sent us a Powerpoint presentation that we have turned into a PDF file, which you can see here.
One of Rice’s most interesting points: the sales tax is regressive, falling most heavily on the poor. The liberals are supposed to opposed that sort of thing. But give them a choice between taxing the poor, and not taxing at all, they will tax the poor.
This has been a huge issue in Milwaukee, and we’ve let other bloggers (and conservative talk radio) cover it, but the blatant electioneering of the flyer was something we couldn’t overlook.
The flyer skirts rules against electioneering by stopping just short of a “call to action” in favor of the tax. But the language is intentionally misleading.
It promises readers a 27% reduction in property taxes.
Just who believes that? Let’s see the hands? Oh . . . there is a liberal blogger over in the corner with his hand raised? Hey . . . guy, I want to talk to you about some beachfront property in Arizona that I can sell you.
County Supervisor Joe Rice has been the driving force behind opposition to the tax increase, leading a group that includes Mark Borkowski, Paul Cesarz, and Joe Sanfelippo. The rest of the Supervisors are either supporting it, or wanting a signal that their constituents will let them get away with voting for it.
We reached Supervisor Rice, and he pointed out that any actual decrease in property taxes is unlikely, as the experience with the last sales tax increase in 1991 shows.
The wording of the referendum is quite simply dishonest. It asks whether Milwaukee County will have the “authority to provide tax relief of at least sixty-seven million dollars.” Nothing requires the Supervisors to do that. And of course, we all know how these games are played. If you currently pay $1,200 in County property tax, and all the spending the bureaucrats and politicians want would bring your bill to $1,400, and the budget is “slashed” such that you end up paying $1,300, voilà, you have gotten $100 in tax relief!
Rice has sent us a Powerpoint presentation that we have turned into a PDF file, which you can see here.
One of Rice’s most interesting points: the sales tax is regressive, falling most heavily on the poor. The liberals are supposed to opposed that sort of thing. But give them a choice between taxing the poor, and not taxing at all, they will tax the poor.
Labels: Milwaukee County, Sales Tax, Supervisors
posted by John McAdams at 11:44 AM
6 Comments:
Every politician ignores the fact that sales taxes are no longer credited against federal income taxes. The same holds true for all those creative fees which have been inflicted on us.
The Democrat Party is the party of fascism and liars. They can NEVER accomplish what they want out in the open. They ALWAYS need to shield their true design. Disgusting.
When will you address Walker's blatant misuse of government resources in his misinformation campaign.
@James-
You would complain no matter how the County Board tried to repair Walker's damage, so why bother worrying about what the right would want?
@Brian
That is just silly. Try to argue with facts. That would make you more credible.
" the sales tax is regressive, falling most heavily on the poor"
Sort of true, however cuts in local government service fall even more heavily on those in need, generally the poor.
Speaking of deducting sales tax from federal income taxes, I sure would like to deduct ALL the interest I pay on my student loan instead of just part.
I voted two weeks ago absentee and had no idea about the question on the ballot. The only thing I thought about when voting for that was the sales tax is regressive, falling most heavily on the poor. Which is why I voted against it...
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