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Milwaukee Passes Wheel Tax

Go Milwaukee!

By a veto-proof majority, the Milwaukee Common Council voted today to impose a $20-a-car annual vehicle registration fee on every car and light truck kept in the city.

The so-called wheel tax is expected to raise $6.6 million a year for street repairs, and it will eliminate special assessments for rebuilding and repairing streets.

Posted by Owen at 1704 hrs
Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

1. Still another reason not to live in the City of Milwaukee.  As if the crime, the outrageous property taxes, the rotten politicians, and the lack of jobs weren’t reason enough. 

   You know, Milwaukee, when you’re trying to make yourself a *more* attractive place to live, imposing yet another tax on residency is probably not the brightest move.

   Pretty soon, the only folks who will be left in Milwaukee proper will be schoolteachers and cops (who are required to live there as a condition of their employment) and those living on the dole.  What a pleasant place it will be then.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 30, 2008 at 2132 hrs
   
   
   

2. Capitol Curmudgeon>  Yea because the $2500 assessments that property owners were getting was such a better deal.  Yup $2500 was the average cost to a property owner in Milwaukee whenever they rebuilt your street.  Now that assessment is $0 for road rebuilds.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 30, 2008 at 2156 hrs
   
   
   

3. So advocating a general tax to avoid having to pay an assessment is an improvement….

   If they city managed its money properly they would have a budget for road repair. Please don’t tell me that the budget is so tight that they can’t take $6.6M out of some unnecessary program.

   Yeah $20 isn’t a lot of money - but it isn’t going to stay at $20 for more than a year. This, along with the sick leave proposal, is just another reason to move your residence and your business out of Milwaukee.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 31, 2008 at 0705 hrs
   
   
   

4. The harsh irony is that this new fee will harm low-income earners in Milwaukee the most.  The very people that many on the Council claim to defend and protect.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 31, 2008 at 0833 hrs
   
   
   

5. “So advocating a general tax to avoid having to pay an assessment is an improvement…. ” uh yea handed out $2500 bills to property owners hasn’t been really a positive thing for either our roads or property owner pocketbooks.

   “If they city managed its money properly they would have a budget for road repair. Please don’t tell me that the budget is so tight that they can’t take $6.6M out of some unnecessary program.”  You find $6.6. million out of a budget that could actually be used for roadwork.  The City of Milwaukee has cut staff from DCD, DPW, facilities, and the Fire Department for years, not to mention has outsourced a variety of services (for better or worse).  If anything these cuts have pushed the need for this by for example cutting patching crews (used to have 15 now have 2er 3) are roads fall apart quicker.

   But this isn’t about a cut this is about a $2500 random fee or a $20 yearly fee.

   PS If you do find that $6.6 million do something about and obtain 42,000 signatures in 60 days (like 9to5 did) and get it cut.  That would be real action.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 31, 2008 at 0841 hrs
   
   
   

6. “The harsh irony is that this new fee will harm low-income earners in Milwaukee the most.  The very people that many on the Council claim to defend and protect.”

   That’s debatable.  Understand the assessment has nothing to do with the value of your home.  So even the poor (which often happens… watch a few meetings) get hit with $2500 bills.  Further large apartment complexes will have generally much larger assessments (more street frontage) so they’ll pass larger bills on to their renters.

   Again is it perfect? no… But what is worse random $2500 bill or $20 a year?

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 31, 2008 at 0845 hrs
   
   
   

7. There was already a way for people to avoid the assessment they could opt out of having their road rebuilt. This led to the average age of milwaukee roads being over 100 years.

   If I have to pay to have the road in front of my home replaced then I think I ought to be the owner of that bit of road; maybe set up a toll to cover the cost of repairs… a general tax is a better solution, IMO.

   Posted by Matt on July 31, 2008 at 0901 hrs
   
   
   

8. I doubt low-income earners will see any tax benefit from this.  Most live in apartment complexes, which more than likely will not pass any tax savings along to their renters. 

   It’s not debatable, it’s a fact.  Renters in Milwaukee who own a car will see their costs increase by $20 each year.  Tax assessments mean nothing to them, and their landlords will not cut them a break on their rent. 

   So again, the little guy will be screwed by the very people who purport to defend “the little guy.”

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 31, 2008 at 1008 hrs
   
   
   

9. You never lower taxes by raising taxes.  Hold in the spending for public employees and the problems will be solved.  this along wiht the proposed county sales tax is nothing but a bill for the government employees and their huge benefit packages, pension packages and vacations.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 31, 2008 at 1629 hrs
   
   
   

10. @Mr. Pelican Pants “It’s not debatable, it’s a fact.  Renters in Milwaukee who own a car will see their costs increase by $20 each year.”  That is true.  But that wasn’t the point of it is debatable.  Understand that it is not that property owners would pass along a savings.  It is that, there is no doubt that they would pass on the COST of a large assessment onto your rent. i.e assessments push rent higher.

    @Dohnal This doesn’t reduce taxes.  It eliminates one type of an assessment.  One that the for the average property owner would be $2500.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 31, 2008 at 1918 hrs
    
    
    

11. Sure, you pay $20 and it saves you $2500 in assesments.  If anyone beleives that they will save money by enacting new taxes, welcome to the Barak Obama school of dreams..

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 31, 2008 at 1928 hrs
    
    
    

12. @Dohnal The same day that the wheel tax was approved numerous street projects that had been held awaiting approval was reopened and approved contingent on the wheel tax overcoming the wheel tax.  Yup those people will be trading away thousands of dollars worth a bills and have traded it away for the $20 wheel tax.  Further they will actually get their streets rebuilt.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 31, 2008 at 2204 hrs
    
    
    

13. Short term these things always look good.  I was stupid enough to vote for the 0.5% sales tax to reduce proeprty taxes in the county.  Guess what, they just spent it on other goodies like pensions etc. after the first few years.  My taxes have gone from $600 per year tp $6,000 in 36 years.  My salary has not gone up ten times.
      These things alwys end up in the pockets of the employees.
      Anyone out there remember the 3% sales tax we passed in 1963 to reduce property taxes in the state?  Then the 4%, then the 5% temporary?  If anyone believes this crap you need to quit smelling the dandelions.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 01, 2008 at 0714 hrs
    
    
    

14. What do you think would of happened to your property taxes if those sales taxes hadn’t gone up?
    
    Gone up at the same rate? 
    Gone up even more? 
    Stayed the same?
    Gone down?

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 01, 2008 at 0813 hrs
    
    
    

15. No way that people would have tolerated double digit property tax increases, that’s why the big government GOP leaders and the big government dems used the sales taxes to increase spending, most of which goes to the public employees gving them what used to be lower salaries etc, but now better salaries, benefits, pensions and vacations.  No one gets those type of bennies any more and we need to rail them in.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 01, 2008 at 1652 hrs
    
    
    

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