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DONATE
to IWF |
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change in Wisconsin, please make an online tax-deductible
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IWF Staff in new offices. |
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IWF has a new home
Since the fire in our former office building
in January, the staff at IWF took on the additional task of
finding new quarters. After several false starts and dashed
hopes, we found office space at 325
West Silver Spring Drive in Glendale, on Milwaukee’s
northeast side. With easy access to the freeway, the new location
is ideal for the staff’s statewide work. We are settling
in, the computers are hooked up, the phones are installed
– the new number is 414-967-1682, and even a few pictures
are up on the walls. It’s great to be up and running
again! To add to the homey atmosphere, there is actually a
decorative fireplace in the main room.
With any luck, it will never see a fire. |
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Senate panel says: ‘Close
the tax loopholes’
The Wisconsin Senate Finance Committee voted to close
corporate income tax loopholes, as part of its plan to deal
with the state’s recession-induced budget shortfall.
Adopting combined reporting, which would hinder big corporations’
ability to shift profits out of Wisconsin, was part of the
package approved 6-2 by the committee. The full Senate will
vote Tuesday.
For details, see the story in the Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel.
For IWF’s
testimony to the Finance Committee, supporting
combined reporting. |
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Combined
reporting: Eloquent support in Florida
Florida's The
Tampa Tribune published
a superb editorial endorsing combined reporting, the tax reform
that closes the loopholes that allow big companies to shift
profits from one state to another.
The Tribune said:
“Florida allows multistate businesses to shelter Florida
income in other states. This makes the effective income-tax
rate on small Florida businesses higher than the rate paid
by corporations sheltering income elsewhere…Finding
legal ways to collect taxes that are already on the books
is not a tax increase. This year, with revenues falling far
short of covering basic priorities, the Legislature should
take a serious look at a few revenue-generating reforms.”
Combined reporting is included in the Wisconsin
Senate’s budget-repair bill. It’s a long-overdue
reform. |
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Revenue, not cuts, solution
to budget shortfall
Groups representing hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin
taxpayers have sent Gov. Jim Doyle a letter supporting his
call to deal with projected budget shortfalls by securing
additional state revenue to minimize budget cuts.
Despite recessionary budget difficulties, the state must
protect the broad network of services crucial to our constituents.
This can be done by implementing a hospital tax, canceling
the elimination of the estate tax, and beginning the effort
to close corporate tax loopholes.
Signers include the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO and a number
of other labor unions; League of Women Voters of Wisconsin;
Wisconsin Council on Children and Families; Citizen Action
of Wisconsin; Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools; Institute
for Wisconsin's Future; and leaders of other organizations
including the Wisconsin Alliance of Cities and Disability
Rights Wisconsin.
»
Letter to Governor Doyle
»
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story
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| Milwaukee
County Board supports corporate disclosure
The Milwaukee County Board recently approved
14-4 a resolution urging more transparent reporting of tax
liability and tax reduction methods. Introduced by Sup. Gerry
Broderick, the resolution added support to the push for SB367,
tax disclosure legislation proposed by Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green
Bay).
»See Broderick’s column in the
Small Business Times. |
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State Bill Would Shine Light on Corporate
Tax Secrets
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Sen. Dave Hansen(D-Green Bay)
speaking while Sen. Bob Jauch (D-Poplar) looks
on. |
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Backed by a lineup of state legislators and elected leaders
from cities, counties and school districts, Senator Dave
Hansen (D-Green Bay) introduced the Corporate
Tax Accountability Act on Dec. 19 at the
State Capitol.
Citing a report Wisconsin's
Revenue Gap: An analysis of corporate tax avoidance,
by the Institute for Wisconsin’s Future, which showed
Wisconsin losing $643 million in 2006 through corporate
tax loopholes, Hansen called for an end to the tax secrecy
that allows such massive corporate leakage. “This
bill does not raise taxes,” Hansen stressed. “But
it gives all Wisconsin citizens the ability to engage in
a well-informed discussion about Wisconsin’s tax code
and who is, and isn’t, paying their fair share.”
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IWF
Director Karen Royster's op-ed on tax disclosure "Bill
on tax disclosure is worthy"
Wisconsin is transforming its economy to attract
biotech investors, 21st-century service entrepreneurs and
talented young people looking for a community that supports
economic growth and a quality lifestyle for families. Good
education, safe streets, strong transportation, flourishing
parks, recreation and culture as well as a broad network of
effective community services attract investment and immigration...
Read more of the Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel article
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Message
delivered to Legislature:
Change the school-funding system
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Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts, Middleton,
and Sen. Roger Breske, Eland, testified before a
packed house, Nov. 15, on Senate Joint Resolution
27. |
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Partners in WAES and their friends from around the state
delivered an important message to legislators, Nov. 15 –
in the strongest way possible: Wisconsin’s school-funding
system is broken, it needs to be thrown out, and the Legislature
needs to come up with a better plan by July 1, 2009.
The audience for over six hours of testimony was the Senate
Education Committee and the point of the message was support
for Senate
Joint Resolution 27. Committee chair Sen. John
Lehman, Racine, said he expects the resolution to clear
both his committee and the Senate. It’s fate in the
Assembly is uncertain and no committee hearing has been
scheduled.
SJR 27, and its Assembly companion AJR35, were authored
by Sen. Roger Breske, Eland, and Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts,
Middleton. Their view of the day’s hearing is available
on the
Wheeler Report.
Click here for more
information, pictures, and testimony from the WAES panel
of testifiers.
Read additional coverage from:
Milwaukee
Journal-Sentinel
Wisconsin
State Journal
WISC-TV,
Madison
Wisconsin
Radio Network
Waukesha
Freeman
Wisconsin
Public Radio
The entire hearing can be seen on Wisconsin
Eye, the state’s new C-span like
network.
Read editorial comments from Ashland
Daily Press,
Wisconsin
State Journal,
and Spooner
Advocate.
Find
out what you can do to help.
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WAES
moving toward independence
For seven years, the Wisconsin
Alliance for Excellent Schools (WAES) —one
of the rising stars in the school-funding reform effort
—has been a project of the Institute for Wisconsin's
Future. That long and productive relationship is coming
to an end due to WAES success.
The coalition will soon be even more effective as an independent,
self-sufficient, membership organization. It will still
be the only statewide, broad-based, and diverse player in
the reform movement. WAES will continue to concentrate on
involving and educating communities around the state and
helping people become effective advocates for their children
and their education.
With the forming of WAES in 2000, IWF made the transition
from researching and talking about school-funding reform
to making the issue the basis for a statewide organizing
effort. While other organizations suggested tweaking and
massaging the formula, IWF pushed comprehensive reform that
recognized the needs of every child in the state.
A first step toward an independent WAES was taken, July
30, at a meeting in Wausau. Thirty coalition partners, serving
as an interim governing board, talked about everything from
dues to a board of directors to the Wisconsin Adequacy Plan,
the new school-funding system developed by WAES. The goal
is to spin off the “new and improved” coalition
early in 2008.
Click here to get
the lowdown on the WAES reorganization.
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Milwaukee
Public Schools advances state tax disclosure proposal
Milwaukee’s school board has
advanced a pioneering resolution that could lead to all
Wisconsin’s school districts demanding meaningful
state tax disclosure legislation.
On Aug. 9, 2007, a committee of the Milwaukee Public Schools
Board voted 5-0 to urge the Wisconsin Association of School
Board to support comprehensive tax disclosure legislation.
The resolution goes to the entire MPS Board on Aug. 30.
The resolution, crafted by MPS Board President Peter Blewett,
recognizes that schools are dependent on a reliable stream
of adequate state revenue. But as the resolution states,
“few members of the public have access to accurate
and current information about who actually pays Wisconsin
taxes and how much they pay.” Read
more....
Click here for the full
text of the MPS resolution. (Word doc)
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Connect
the dots between county shortages and the state budget …
Milwaukee could lose park programs
and bus routes. Counties around the state are closing nursing
homes and understaffing jail facilities. What does that
have to do with the state budget debates? Everything!
The state budget fight between the State Senate —
which is adding resources for local government —and
the State Assembly — which has a slash and burn attitude
toward public services —will make all the difference
at the local level for the next two years. For a more complete
account of the issue, read the
Milwaukee Journal Crossroads articles by Karen Royster
and Mordecai
Lee the county pensions crisis and the impact
of state budget issues on Milwaukee County in 2007.
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Wal-Mart brags about avoiding
Wisconsin taxes
Wal-Mart responded to IWF’s
recent criticism of its tax-avoidance by bragging publicly
about how effective it is at not paying taxes in Wisconsin.
A Wal-Mart spokeswoman said the giant company uses the
so-called REIT tax loophole to avoid corporate income
taxes from 84 of its 89 state stores.
Wal-Mart’s comments came in response to a column
by Mike Ivey in the Capital Times newspaper, which relied
on IWF data.
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Blue
skies for Wisconsin taxpayers?
The truth about corporate taxes in Wisconsin
Is Wisconsin a tax haven for corporations?
Though it may go contrary to the popular opinion, the answer
is Yes. Two new reports by Jack Norman illustrate exactly
how easy corporations have it when it comes to taxation
in Wisconsin and how the corporate sector is underpaying
state and local taxes by more than one billion dollars annually.
Between tax exemptions and loopholes, many large corporations
that do business in Wisconsin pay hardly any state taxes
at all. Meanwhile, across the state public services are
being cut and individuals pay some of the highest property
and personal income taxes in the country.
View
a 5-minute condensed video version of highlights
of the IWF presentation.
“Are
Wisconsin’s Taxes Too High?” was
Norman’s cover story for Isthmus, the Madison
newspaper, April 6, 2007.
Just released!
Broken
Partnerships
is an IWF report explaining how the business sector
underpays taxes by over $1 billion.
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| Growing
a stronger Wisconsin:
A citizen’s guide to protecting what we love about our
State
The Institute for Wisconsin's
Future continues its work to protect public services by engaging
citizens in discussion across the state. After success securing
public services in Milwaukee County last fall, IWF hit the
road to discuss how we can find a fair way to build the revenue
needed to protect our public structures, such as parks, schools,
police and many more. The IWF presentation is a catalyst for
people to discuss what they value and what we can do to make
our communities stronger.
If you
would like to know more about this presentation or would like
to have one come to you contact Joe Fahey at (414) 384-9094
jfahey@wisconsinsfuture.org.
View the PowerPoint presentation
A
Citizen's Guide to a Strong Community
Wisconsin
tax heaven:
The corporate contribution to state and local revenue
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IWF Research Director Jack Norman made
three presentations Dec. 4 in Milwaukee,
Madison, and Spring Green. |
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Contrary to the claims of corporate lobbyists
that the state has unreasonably high business taxes, Wisconsin
is already a low-tax state for large firms.
And this means the corporate sector is not making
a fair contribution to the cost of maintaining public structures
of state and local government, from schools to roads to public
safety to the environment.
To back up these statements, the Institute for
Wisconsin's Future released a mass of data on December 4,
2006, detailing that more than thirty states have higher taxes
on corporations and that over 60% of the biggest companies
operating in the state paid zero corporate income tax in 2003.
The IWF research made headlines across the state.
For sample coverage, see the Wisconsin
State Journal and the Associated
Press. For sample reaction, see this statement
by State
Sen. Russ. Decker and this editorial in The
Oshkosh Northwestern.
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the
target of much of IWF’s criticism, responded with this
statement. IWF responded to WMC with this
statement.
View
IWF’s PowerPoint presentation (works best
in Explorer Browser) or view
as an Adobe .pdf
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