Wisconsin Business Community United Against State Budget
WMC Delivers More than 2,100 Petitions to Assembly, Gov

MADISON – In a massive outpouring of opposition, more than 2,100 business executives signed petitions urging the Legislature to reject a state budget with $3 billion in higher taxes and expanded liability, WMC announced Tuesday.

“The business community is united in urging the Legislature to reject the $3 billion in higher taxes and joint and several liability,” said James S. Haney, WMC president. “The budget under consideration will hamper job creation in our state and prolong the recession.”

Last Wednesday, WMC emailed petitions to businesses throughout the state asking executives to announce their opposition to the $3 billion tax hikes, joint and several liability and other anti-growth measures.

“In the less than 24 hours we received 1,000 signatures and they’ve been rolling in every day,” said James A. Buchen, WMC vice president. “We were receiving more than 100 signatures an hour. People are upset about the budget, and frightened about the future.”

On Tuesday, Haney and Buchen delivered the 2,100 signatures to Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan (D-Janesville) and Assembly Minority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) and Governor Jim Doyle. Signatures will be delivered to the Senate after Assembly passage.

Those signing the petition were asked to oppose a lengthy list of anti-growth proposals at the Capitol in addition to the higher taxes, and increased liability in the state budget, Buchen said.

WMC petition signers opposed the following by signing:

• Increase income taxes to a top rate of 7.75 percent, 11th highest in the nation ($318 million tax increase).
• Increase taxes by over $1 billion on businesses and investors.
• Increase state spending by 10 percent over the next two years.
• Increase capital gains tax by cutting the 60 percent exclusion to only 40 percent ($180 million tax increase).
• Increase energy costs with a gross receipts tax on petroleum products. Executives would be fined if they passed the tax on to consumers ($271 million tax increase).
• Expand liability by returning to joint and several liability that allows a defendant found to bear 1 percent of fault to pay 100 percent of the damages.
• Increase pressure to raise property taxes by repealing the QEO, qualified economic offer law.
• Increase property taxes by exempting transportation and other expenses for school districts from revenue limits.
• Increase insurance premiums by mandating increased coverage for auto insurance.
• Increase corporate taxes by 11 percent a year under a plan that taxes profits made on operations in other states. ($215 million tax increase).*
• Increase the garbage tax from $5.90 to $10.30 per ton.
• Increase fees for large water users.
• Extend the sales tax to custom software and overturn a Supreme Court precedent established that said custom software is tax exempt.*
• Extend compensatory and punitive damages to the workplace in discrimination cases.*

(* Proposals marked with an “*” have already been adopted by the Wisconsin Legislature.)

WMC has proposed the “Moving Wisconsin Forward” plan as a set of policies aimed at growing Wisconsin’s economy. The plan is available at www.wmc.org.

“There is a better way to create jobs in Wisconsin,” Haney said. “Hopefully, lawmakers will listen to these business leaders and do what’s right to create jobs for our families.”

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
James S. Haney, (608) 258-3400
James A. Buchen, (608) 258-3400

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