Organizations concerned about the expansion of sales tax in Wisconsin
Posted on May 21st, 2009
Wisconsin’s economy over the past decade has appeared successful and healthy, but the state government has worked against a structural budget deficit and now faces a multibillion dollar shortfall. As in other states, policymakers and citizens have considered a variety of alternatives to bring expenditures and revenues into balance. This report warns against adoption of a damaging policy direction that has been discussed in some quarters: the extension of the sales tax to include greater coverage of advertising services
Read: Report for the Wisconsin Advertising Industries Coalition
Posted on May 19th, 2009
Source: American Advertising Federation – Madison Chapter
The call for an ad tax always raises the issue of how to define advertising. Newspapers, magazines, television, direct mail and outdoor usually come the minds of legislators. However, baseball caps, t-shirts, matchbook covers, blimps and sponsored sporting events are forms of advertising subject to tax. The Federal Trade Commission has never been able to define advertising and Florida failed in 1987. How will other states define advertising?
Three states have imposed an ad tax (Arizona, Iowa, Florida) and each repealed it. The economic dislocation resulting from the application of sales and use tax to the service of advertising was quickly demonstrated in 1987 when over 200 new auditors hired by Florida could not administer the sales tax placed on a wide range of services, including advertising. Read more »
Posted on May 15th, 2009
Source: Wisconsin Society of Architects
The AIA believes taxing architectural services would significantly hurt the design industry by encouraging clients to turn to unlicensed designers for services, seriously eroding protection of the public’s health and safety. Taxing architectural services would put the architectural profession at a competitive disadvantage with unlicensed individuals and would hurt small businesses most. The AIA believes taxing architectural services would have an adverse impact on the state’s revenue, economy, and public welfare and health.
Read: AIA Sales Tax Issue Brief
Posted on May 13th, 2009
Source: Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Wisconsin’s budget problems have been widely publicized, and the current economic environment will create additional fiscal challenges for the State. Comments from legislators and articles indicate that additional sales taxes are certain to be considered next year.
Although the WICPA has helped defeat prior attempts to impose a sales tax on services, Wisconsin’s poor fiscal health will make such a tax more appealing now than in the past. It is therefore very important that CPAs inform their legislators about the adverse consequences of a sales tax on services: Read more »
Posted on April 24th, 2009
Source: New Richmond News
The proposed state budget has a disturbing sales tax increase that will not only have a negative effect on Wisconsin people, but also most businesses.
The issue of a raising and expanding sales taxes in Wisconsin has been whispered about since the Governor’s “budget fix” speech in mid-February.
Currently the state sales tax is 5 percent. Most counties (61 of 72), including St. Croix County, also have a .5 percent sales tax. That brings the tax total to 5.5 percent in most counties. Read more »
Posted on April 24th, 2009
Source: The Janesville Gazette
Taxes were on the minds of many readers last week.
April 15, of course, was the income tax filing deadline. Tens of thousands of “Tea Party” protesters rallied nationwide against taxes.
That same day, the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce fired off a news release stating that Thomas Industries’ plan to move nearly 300 factory jobs to Louisiana is more evidence that Wisconsin’s manufacturing economy is in crisis. Wisconsin has lost more than 140,000 factory jobs since 2000, WMC says. Read more »
Posted on April 23rd, 2009
Source: Hudson Star-Observer
The proposed state budget has a disturbing sales tax increase that will not only have a negative effect on Wisconsin people, but also most businesses.
The issue of a raising and expanding sales taxes in Wisconsin has been whispered about since the Governor’s “budget fix” speech in mid-February.
Currently the state sales tax is 5 percent. Most counties (61 of 72), including St. Croix County, also have a .5 percent sales tax. That brings the tax total to 5.5 percent in most counties. Read more »
Posted on April 6th, 2009
Source: Sen. Jim Sullivan
As Wisconsin tackles the economic crisis, one phrase we have heard is that nothing is off the table when it comes to resolving our $5.4 billion state budget deficit. To a certain extent, that is true: anything that is reasonable, fair and serves a valid purpose is up for discussion. Taxing legal services, however, does not meet that criteria. While no such proposal has been formally introduced, taxing legal services is the wrong way to go.
Taxing legal services is not a revenue solution; it is an impediment to the exercise of constitutional rights. Working people would foot the bill for such a proposal. It is not reasonable or fair to tax a surcharge on criminal defendants when liberty itself is at stake. Increasing representation costs by instituting an additional tax will make it even more difficult for people to attain legal help, which flies in the face of our constitutional right to representation, codified in the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. Read more »
Posted on February 16th, 2009
Feb. 16, 2009
Madison — Twenty organizations and trade groups announced a new Capitol lobbying coalition today that will fight all moves to charge the 5% sales tax on now-exempt services the groups provide or buy, as Gov. Jim Doyle and Democratic legislative look for ways to fix a $5.7-billion budget deficit.
The Coalition Against New Taxes will use lobbyists that now work for each of the 20 groups to also fight any move to expand the sales tax, said Bll Smith, state director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Read more »
Posted on February 16th, 2009
February 16, 2009
CONTACT:
Bill G. Smith – (608) 255-6083
State Director – National Federation of Independent Business
Bill Babcock – (608) 257-8477
Executive Director – Wisconsin Society of Architects
(Madison) – A large and diverse coalition of Wisconsin professional and small business groups has formed to voice their sharp opposition to any proposal that would expand the sales tax to professional or business services.
The “Coalition Against New Taxes” includes nineteen organizations concerned that the expansion of a sales tax on services will have a direct and immediate negative impact on consumers and small businesses located throughout Wisconsin. Read more »
