Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Sunday, November 25, 2007

Wisconsin’s top issue is high taxes

By state Rep. Mike Huebsch

A recent poll of Wisconsin residents has confirmed a trend that should take absolutely nobody by surprise: High taxes is the No. 1 issue in the state.

More than a third of those surveyed by the St. Norbert College Survey Center said that taxes and the state budget is the most important problem facing the state of Wisconsin today. No other problem in the poll even came close, and only one other issue, government ethics and politics, ranked in double figures (11 percent).

Polls should always be taken with a grain of salt, but when Wisconsinites aren’t happy about something, we don’t keep it a secret. High taxes is consistently the No. 1 issue for my constituents, and for good reason. According to the latest ranking, Wisconsin is the 8th highest taxed state in the nation, and anyone who pays property taxes, cashes a paycheck or has April 15 circled on their calendar knows that has a real impact on their pocketbook.

So what are we doing about it in Madison? State taxes are determined as part of the two-year state budget, and just last month Wisconsin emerged from a long and difficult budget battle, centered on that very issue. At one point, the state was working from four different budget proposals: one submitted by the governor, one by the Joint Finance Committee, one from the state Senate and one from the state Assembly.

It is worth noting that only one version, the Assembly Republican budget, kept taxes in line with Wisconsin’s ability to pay. The other three went in the opposite direction: identifying where to spend first, and how to pay for it second. Thanks to that

mentality, the Democrats’ budget proposals included tax hikes ranging from outrageous ($1.7 billion in the governor’s budget) to out-of-control (more than $18 billion in the Senate proposal).

In the end, Republicans held firm and negotiated a budget that eliminated

98 percent of the tax hikes proposed by Gov. Doyle and Senate Democrats, and cemented a deal to move Wisconsin forward with a budget the taxpayers can afford. We also managed to secure $188 million in permanent tax cuts for Wisconsin families and seniors, and $22 million in tax credits for Wisconsin small businesses.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that the state budget is not a very exciting issue, even for the people whose wallets are most directly affected by it. But it’s no secret that many Wisconsin families are struggling with expenses, and they’re not happy with the bite the government is taking.

For government to turn its back and say that the needs of the bureaucrats and special interests are more important than what you’d rather spend your money on is completely backward.

Taxes are taken from every paycheck we make, sales taxes make us dig deeper in our pocket when we make purchases, and the government spends your tax money 365 days a year. Wisconsin’s top priority is how much we pay in taxes, so it’s only fair that the government’s top priority should be the people who pay them.

State Rep. Mike Huebsch is a West Salem Republican.