Assembly Democrats dialed back a proposed sales tax increase for Milwaukee County, voting to allow the sales tax to rise 0.65% but not the full 1% recommended earlier by legislators, according to information released early Thursday morning.
Most of the sales tax increase — 0.5% — would go for Milwaukee County buses. The remaining 0.15% would go for public safety. If approved, the change would allow the County Board to raise the sales tax from 5.6% to 6.25%.
The Joint Finance Committee last month recommended increasing the sales tax 1% to pay for buses, parks and public safety.
It’s important to remember as this goes through the Legislature that the referendum that passed in Milwaukee County last Fall was to grant a 1% sales tax for parks, transit, and EMS services. It was not a referendum on a 0.5% sales tax for transit. It was not a referendum for a 0.5% sales tax for parks, recreation and culture.
There will need to be a huge thrust to get the original intent of Milwaukee County voters support for a combined parks/transit/EMS solution back into the Senate version of the budget.
I live in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Milwaukee, WI with my wife Jen, our daughter Emerson, and sons Carter and Colton.
Dan,
You are correct, this is discouraging. Problem is, what’s discouraging for me is the additional money that is coming out of my wallet (AGAIN), while my income is not getting any bigger. Know what that means?? Less disposable income for the household because the “intelligentsia” in Madison feels the need to increase a regressive tax, bump my fuel costs up another $.04/gallon, and increase user fees – amongst others. All of this while spending money on biotech incubators ($700,000), transit in Sheboygan (Sheboygan?) ($500,000), etc, etc, etc. The worst part is that these examples of tax and fee increases are only scraping the surface – all I can say is, now people in other states, when they’re feeling overtaxed, can go from calling their state a “tax hell” to say, “We’ve gone from being a tax hell, to being a Wisconsin!”
Sean, you own a home, correct? Whatever makes it through the budget process for transit/parks/ems will be taken off our County property tax levy, so it may well end up being more money in your wallet.
Dan,
I know we’ve had this “conversation” before; 1) there is nothing written into the legislation (as there never is) that guarantees that we will see this reduction in the property tax now and more importantly in the future. 2) the last time our sales tax was increased in this fashion (I believe 1991) the tax payers were sold the same bill of goods, and after a few years that property tax “savings” miraculously went away. Why should I believe this is going to be any different? 3) Yes I do own a house, but I will more than likely pay more because of this sales tax increase than I am going to receive back from my “potential” property tax offset. Yey!!!! 4) Although I oppose the sales tax (unless there is wording in the legislation guaranteeing long term property tax relief), my point was much broader. I pointed out the sales tax, the gas tax, other user fees and the coup de gras – BS pork! All this in a state that can ill afford to fatten anything, much less biotech incubators (to name one).
This constant need to tax (or increase user fees) in a state that already is one of the highest in the country baffles me.
I couldn’t agree more Sean. It’s the car fees, the gas tax, the sales tax, the stadium tax, it’s nickel and diming us to death. And yes, they will find a way to say this .65% is not enough to give us property tax relief. I agree, the wording is not there to guarantee us anyt relief. My home went down my 10%, however, I don’t expect to see that much (if any) decline in my property taxes this year. So much for the benefit of homeownership. I’m leaving Milwaukee County, if not the state of Wisconsin, as soon as I can. This is out of control. And I do make a conscious decision whenever possible, to make my purchases in Waukesha county. Maybe if we all do the same, they MIGHT see the light.
Wow, we agree on something!!