Walker says eliminating income tax and raising sales tax is on the table

[Jimbo S]

http://www.biztimes.com/article/20131219/ENEWSLETTERS03/131219754/-1/morning_headlines

Heading into an election year, Gov. Scott Walker has embarked on a major review of the state’s tax code, including the possibility of eliminating income taxes and raising the sales tax.


Walker told WisPolitics.com on Tuesday that he is “envious” of other states that have eliminated income taxes, and that he could support raising the state’s 5 percent sales tax rate or eliminating sales tax exemptions to help cover the revenue loss that would result from killing income taxes. Income taxes make up about $8.4 billion a year — roughly half of the state’s general fund.

“Any discussion about this clearly should involve an outright elimination (of state income taxes),” Walker told the website.

Walker’s comments come as Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and Department of Revenue secretary Rick Chandler have begun holding private, invitation-only discussions around the state about tax reform at Walker’s direction.

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So, replace progressive income tax with a highly regressive sales tax? Evil!

Oh, love the "holding private, invitation-only discussions..."

[RC]

1. More echo chamber.

Walker’s comments come as Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and Department of Revenue secretary Rick Chandler have begun holding private, invitation-only discussions around the state about tax reform at Walker’s direction.

The masses aren't smart enough to have any input as to how we are governed.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. I keep waiting for some enterprising and patriotic waitperson or the like

to show up with a video of one of these invite-only meetings.

[Turbineguy]

3. Tax the poor!

Save the rich!

[Gidney N Cloyd]

4. Anybody know what these "other states that have eliminated income taxes" are?

[Ed Suspicious]

5. Just a quick google search so I can't vouch for the accuracy, but....

Alaska
Florida
Nevada
South Dakota
Texas
Washington

[IllinoisBirdWatcher]

6. One must look at TOTAL taxes.

According to about.com

Worst States for Property Taxes

The Tax Foundation found that homeowners in these states paid the most in property taxes compared to home value. The percentages represent the percentage of home value that homeowners pay in property taxes.

New Jersey - 1.89%
New Hampshire - 1.86%
Texas - 1.81%
Wisconsin - 1.76%
Nebraska - 1.70%

Notice that Wisconsin is already one of the WORST states for property tax. With all of Walker's SMOKE AND MIRRORS which did nothing but punish municipalities, school districts and their employees to "save" the taxpayers, my Wisconsin property tax bill which arrived last week still went UP by 10.1%.

[malokvale77]

8. Being in Texas...

I can say that the Texas tax structure is only beneficial to the wealthy. The working class and poor pay the lions share here. We receive little service in return.

[IllinoisBirdWatcher]

11. I agree.

In addition to the high property taxes, my friends in San Antonio pay 8.25% sales tax if I remember correctly.

Sales taxes are the most regressive of all common taxes. Taxing basic necessities is horrible. At least you get "sales tax holidays" to buy kids clothing and shoes. So kind of them.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

18. Just so we're clear, did these states USED TO HAVE income taxes and then eliminated them or...

...or they never had them in the first place? And if it's USED TO, was it in recent memory? I just can't remember a state actually eliminating a major form of taxation but it's not like nothing ever gets past me.

[Ed Suspicious]

21. I just searched "states without income tax" so your ? is a good question that my post doesn't answer

[PSPS]

9. Washington has no income tax

Everything in Washington is funded by sales tax, property tax and B&O tax (taxes on a business's gross sales.) That's why the parasite class has several walled neighborhoods around Seattle, including Bill Gates' 66,000 SF "house."

That's also why the roads are like washboards, the schools are severely underfunded, mass transit is being cut back, and thousands of homeless sleep under every overpass and in every doorway throughout Seattle. Nevertheless, the politicians saw to it that the taxpayers paid hundreds of millions to build stadiums for the billionaire team owners, and that Boeing gets the largest state taxpayer ripoff in US history ($9 billion) just to "keep jobs in Washington." (Boeing avoids paying any B&O tax at all because it "delivers" their planes in the air.)

[Squinch]

7. Is Walker popular in the state? Is he likely to win reelection?

[Squinch]

13. Oh, my God! That is horrible.

Didn't Wisconsin use to be the bright light of progressivism?

[Squinch]

20. You know I am cheering you on. I despise that muskrat.

[Scuba]

12. He's almost certain to win re-election, since the State Party has hand-picked someone to lose.

[Squinch]

14. That is a shameful comment about the state's Democratic organization.

Or is it that there are truly more Republicans in the state than Democrats? I was always under the impression that it was a mostly Democratic state, but I don't know where I got that from.

[Scuba]

15. You got the idea from Russ Feingold's 18 years in the Senate.

Our State Party has been taken over by conservatives. Even if we win, we'll lose.

[Squinch]

16. I am so sorry. The spirit of the protesters in the Capital was such an

inspiration. I am sorry that they have little chance of winning.

[Jimbo S]

17. Evenly split

48% worship him, 48% detest him.

It's the middle four percent that will decide the next election and as mentioned, the GOTV.