Bill Sell's pen name is dedicated to the grief of the children whom Socrates was convicted of ruining and for which he was ordered to drink the hemlock. Any resemblance to the goings on in the 21st century are purely intentional. Sell became a transportation maven during the study of a bicycle path on the Hoan Bridge (Milwaukee) and the inability of Wisconsin's Department of Transportation to dedicate space for bicycles after an exhaustive study proved its value and safety. He gave up his own car five winters ago.
BusStop. Watch Your Language
Posted July 1st, 2008 by SocratesChildren
BusStop. Watch Your Language
The good news is that the Milwaukee County Board might be able to override Scott Walker's veto. At stake is a referendum to take parks, emergency services and transit off of the property tax. The bad news is that we may be talking ourselves into a defeat at the polls.
I plead with all bus and park loving citizens: Stop and think what you are saying. Watch your language.
- We know that reducing Property Tax is a winner.
- We know that talking Sales Tax is unpopular.
- So, why don't we talk about Property Tax Relief?
- Talk about how this referendum will deliver Relief.
- That visitors to Milwaukee County will now help us fund our buses and parks.
- That the County will reduce your property tax while funding parks, emergency services and transit.
- That our bus system will have a chance to pull out of its death spiral.
This referendum will inspire oceans of vigorous conversation throughout the County. It is not merely a sales tax hike; it is more. It is a chance for County residents to grab a some relief in one smart vote.
The County Board's press release stated the case accurately:
"The Milwaukee County Board voted 12-6 to approve a resolution calling for an advisory referendum on whether to provide property tax relief by shifting funding for mass transit, parks, recreation, culture and paramedics from the property tax levy to a small increase in the sales tax." [emphasis added]
Notice: "sales tax" is the tail end of this smartly written press release. Sales tax is the tail, not the pony. County residents are the winners, not the losers. Language matters.
Let us phrase the discussion accurately, and win.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Not all taxes are created equal
While I have not been reading intently on this issue, I wonder about several aspects. The property tax is deductible on federal taxes for those who itemize. The sales tax is not. How many people will benefit from this shift? How many will be hurt? Will more people end-up paying taxes that are not recoverable to some extent? Remember, many states with very low property taxes and no or low income taxes typically enjoy much more in federal monies coming into them. Wisconsin remains on the bottom of the heap in federal dollars returned.
I am more inclined to prefer that user fees cover the costs of a program. The cost of building inspection, for example, should, for the most part, be paid by the building owners that need the inspection. I see the transit system as a part of the transportation network. Busses and trains directly impact traffic volume and as a result should be funded through the same mechanisms that we use to pay for our roadways.
I'm not as sure about parks. But at one time Milwaukee was able to adequately fund their care. Where is the money going now? Why can't we do something about the factors that are truly affecting the county's ability to cover it's costs. Is it only state mandates? Is it "poor dumping" by the suburbs? Is it a loss of businesses in the county?
Fair tax?
Fred
You raise interesting issues of fairness about taxes. Sales tax is not fair in one respect: it treats everyone alike whether one can afford it or not. Sales taxes are more fair in the respect that they collect from visitors who benefit without charge from our industry and benefit from the taxes we impose on ourselves.
There are more equitable ways to collect taxes for transportation. I would like to explore one such tax in a future blog, but today's referendum to shift us away from property taxes will largely benefit the struggling homeowner, the fixed-income senior trying to keep her home. And that is fair, too. Most low income people benefit very little from federal tax deductions, while at the same time the federal government distributes large amounts of money to local governments for transportation needs, provided the local government comes up with matching funds.
User fees for transportation make sense; mass transit should definitely be able to use the taxes collected from gasoline sales. This arrangement would actually reduce the use and cost of gasoline by slowing demand for oil.
You touch a raw nerve in suggesting that suburbs have generally ganged up on Milwaukee at the expense of the citizens of our city. Others have noticed this. Rural Wisconsin may need to be educated to appreciate the value of the economic center of our state.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^.
"Let us put our minds together, and see what life we will make for our children."
---Tatanka-Iyotanka (Sitting Bull) --- Hunkpapa Lakota chief
I'll bet Waukesha County is
I'll bet Waukesha County is cheering on the Milwaukee County Board. If a 1% sales tax increase passes in Milw. Cty. it will be 1 1/2 percent higher than Waukesha County. Stores like Kohl's Brookfield on 124th and North will be a very busy place. In fact it may spur a retail building boom along 124th street from Menomonee Falls to Muskego. The Milwaukee County Supervisors may learn an impotant economics lesson.
sales tax referendum
If anyone has paid attention to Wisconsin State news in the last week they will have noticed that the Vernon County Board of Supervisors has voted to raise it's county sales tax to 6% making Vernon County the highest sales tax county in the state. One of the reasons for doing this is to fund some much needed improvements to dams along the Mississippi River. What's missing from this action is the outcry of revolt from the citizenry of that County and allegations of turning Vernon County into a veritable tax island. What makes this more even more compelling is the fact that Southwestern Wisconsin is and has been one of the most economically depressed areas of the state, yet where is all the commotion? It is also ironic that out of the 25 largest urban centers in America today, only Detroit and Milwaukee fund their bus and transportation infrastructure through property taxes. What does it take to get Milwaukee and Wisconsin to join the rest of America in funding their transportation needs through a mechanism other than property taxes. The real irony is that Wisconsin sees itself as a 'progressive state' and our state motto is 'Forward', yet all of our political problem solving solutions are backward and stagnant. Milwaukee County is the center of the universe for the State of Wisconsin and we need a vibrant Parks and transportation system to reflect the economic importance of this great city on a great lake and what it means to the rest of the state as well as our nation.
Post new comment