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May, 2008 |
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Free
lunch (and dinner) for 92% of Wisconsin hospitals Hospitals are a major growth industry in Wisconsin. There are new, often luxurious, facilities being built in exurban areas across the state. Health care CEO's are emerging as prominent and wealthy leaders in the corporate community. The massive facilities rely heavily on public resources -- road maintenance, police, emergency personnel, technical training centers and the court systems. Unfortunately for taxpayers, 92% of these expanding corporations are categorized by the state as non-profits so they pay no income, property or sales tax. A new IWF study looks at the economic impact of non-profit hospitals in Wisconsin —Hospitable Taxes: How non-profit hospitals profit from Wisconsin's outdated tax system. http://www.wisconsinsfuture.org/ Big
win for tax reform: Wal-Mart’s real-estate tax scam is now
illegal Gov. Doyle’s signature makes it law: The real estate gimmick Wal-Mart have been using to avoid Wisconsin corporate income tax is now illegal. The Legislature closed the tax scam as part of the budget repair bill, and Doyle signed it into effect May 16. In his veto message, Doyle wrote that the new law “closes an unacceptable tax loophole used by multinational corporations to shift profits out of the state to avoid paying Wisconsin taxes.” The measure shuts down the use of a tax avoidance technique whereby one branch of a company pays rent to another branch at a high enough rate to eliminate the visible profits. State Senate leader Russ
Decker observed that “We can no longer let large out-of-state
businesses push their tax bill onto the backs of Wisconsin businesses.
We are not asking Wal-Mart to pay more, we are only asking them
to pay their fair share of taxes to fund the services they get from
our state just like Wisconsin-based companies do.” Ashland
school district and city government fighting over crumbs The Ashland school board
cut its police liaison at a "contentious" meeting. Part
of the reasoning was they hoped the city would pick up half of the
position, to which the mayor responded, "We're not going to
pick up half of it; you have more money than we do."
Report:
Money worries may have influenced maintenance decisions on fallen
Minneapolis bridge
(BRIAN BAKST, Star Tribune) ST. PAUL - A new report on the Minneapolis bridge collapse said money worries may have led to bad maintenance decisions ahead of the catastrophe that killed 13 people last August. The report, commissioned by the Legislature, also criticized the Minnesota Department of Transportation for bridge inspections that were mishandled or not acted upon over the years, even when they called for immediate repairs. See the full story at: http://www.startribune.com/photos/?c=y&img=1211356909992895.jpg Largest
privatization deal in U.S. history proposed for Pennsylvania Turnpike In the largest privatization
deal ever proposed in the United States, a consortium led by Gov. Rendell is promoting the deal, despite the state legislature’s rejection of previous privatization plans and despite polls that show fifty-eight percent of Pennsylvanians oppose leasing the toll highway. Never in Wisconsin? Beware—privatizing some of Wisconsin’s all-free roads is an idea that resurfaces every few years. Please
forward this newsletter to whomever you think might be interested.
For more information email Karen Royster at: kroyster@wisconsinsfuture.org |
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