Tax Burden Was Highest In Green Legislature

Mark Green put out another deceptive press release yesterday. This time it was about a study conducted by the Tax Foundation. This study claims that Wisconsin’s state and local tax burden is 11.6% as compared to the national average which is 10.6%. Mark Green’s press release claims that Wisconsinite’s tax burden is nearly 10% more than the national average. In looking at the data, I have no idea where he is getting this figure. HERE you take a look for yourself.

In any case, I thought that in honor of Mark Green’s press release and Tommy “I need camera time” Thompson, I’d look at the tax burden now as compared to previous years. It should be noted that I am simply relying on the same source that Green used in his press release.

If you take a look at the figures for the time that Governor Doyle has been in office, the recorded tax burden has gone down from the bad old days of Tommy Thompson. The Doyle years range anywhere between 11.3% and 11.7%. During the Tommy Thompson years the tax burden on Wisconsinites ranged from 11.8% to 12.4%. Wisconsin was ranked as high as second in the nation in terms of our tax burden during the Thompson years. The highest that we have been ranked under Doyle has been 4th place early in his administration with a steady decline to 7th.

In 1994 Wisconsin had it's highest tax burden (at least since 1972) at 12.4%. That same year we were ranked as the state with the second highest tax burden in the nation. How ironic that when we’ve had some of the largest tax burdens in this state, it was Republican Governor Tommy Thompson at the helm with state legislator Mark Green serving the supporting role.