The Way I See It!

Wisconsin Tied for 11th Worst Tax Hell States

Posted by Randy Hollenbeck on Aug. 8, 2010

Wisconsin, Taxes

Look out and wow, Wisconsin isn’t in the top 10, but so close.

Wisconsin slips a notch, but avoids top 10 'tax hells'

Newly released U.S. Census figures show that Wisconsin, often derided by its own residents as a "tax hell," stayed out of the top 10 highest tax states for the third consecutive year in 2008, the year of the latest available data.

State and local taxes claimed 11.8% of total state personal income, landing the Badger State 13th among the 50 states, and slipping a notch from No. 14 a year earlier, according to an analysis of Census data from the Madison-based Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance.

The last time Wisconsin stood in the top 10 was in 2005, when it ranked No. 9.

Few issues arouse voter passion in Wisconsin like the state's tax bite, prompting some commentators to follow tax tables as if they were Packers scores.

In November's races for the statehouse and governor's mansion, however, issues of taxes and fiscal policy carry higher stakes than usual.  Wisconsin and most other states are wrestling with severe budget shortfalls in the wake of the 2008-2009 recession, leaving less maneuvering room for politicians to promise deep tax reductions or expensive new programs.

Like other states, notably California and Illinois, Wisconsin's public agencies already have been reducing public payrolls as tax revenues dry up.  And as school districts across the country see tax bases shrivel, the American Association of School Administrators sees "an unprecedented number" of teaching positions in peril.

Source: MJS