‘Temporary’ funds keep rolling in

Here’s my column for the West Bend Daily News this week.  It went up a couple of days late.  It’s called, “‘Temporary’ funds keep rolling in.” I take a look at three examples of taxes that were sold to the taxpayers as “temporary” but some politicians want to keep them going forever.  I sum up this way:

The only viable solution is very simple. No matter what the reasoning, the taxpayers should avoid creating any new revenue streams for government. If some politician wants to spend money on something, the least that the taxpayers should expect is for that politician to find an existing revenue stream and prioritize accordingly. After all, for every new program worthy of funding, there are at least five existing programs that should have been killed years ago.

1. What projects do you object to? The radio project? The county fair? The highway shop? Each replaced infrastructure that was aged and beyond useful life. The West Bend highway shop was a relic of the 1930’s, incapable of housing the amount of equipment needed today. The Slinger fairground was an absolute pit and should have been replaced years earlier. The county radio system is obsolete; they can’t get even parts for the base station.

   Since you didn’t attack the projects, I assume you’re more upset by the tax mechanism. What’s the alternative… property taxes? At least this way, the revenue stream isn’t limited to property owners. And that’s fair, because the revenue is being used to support the highway department that keeps the highways open for travelers, the radio system used by the sheriff and police departments that similarly help visitors, and the fair complex that is patronized by thousands of people from outside the area (including the HOG event this summer). I know that you are philosophically opposed to new taxes, or supposedly temporary taxes that have no sunset, and I respect that. The fact that this was sold as a temporary tax doesn’t mean that it’s automatically bad that we still have it, or keep having it. As more people move to this county and tax (no pun intended) its resources, the sales tax supplies a means to keep up with it.

   Posted by on April 25, 2008 at 1552 hrs




2. Hey WBMAN,

   How about this - let’s have every agency, department do what you do for a year or two, maybe three or four - without increasing the amount of money you take from the taxpayers.

   That would be a service.

   Let’s start there. Do it.

   If the folks all want pay raises, find, then recommend spending cuts on other things in that department or agency to offset the payraise.

   For the taxpayer - they are looking for a break. Stop the increases. Find efficiencies.

   This is a foreign concept to government, but it needs to become part of the culture.

   Posted by on April 25, 2008 at 1955 hrs




3. You forgot the “temporary” sales tax increase that was imposed when Tommy Thompson was first elected Governor.  Wisconsin back then, as now, faced a huge budget shortfall.  The solution?  “Temporarily” raise the state sales tax from 4% to 5%.  I’m still waiting to see the 4% sales tax rate return, but I’m not holding my breath over it.

   Posted by Kerry Thomas on April 28, 2008 at 1339 hrs