TABOR'S BACK... WELL, SORT OF
Friday, February 10th, 2006 -- 9:09 AM
By Bob Hague, WRNRepublican lawmakers have rolled out their Wisconsin Taxpayer Protection Act.
Extended negotiations have yielded a successor to TABOR (the Taxpayer Bill of Rights) -- a revised plan Republicans claim will keep more money in Wisconsin wallets by limiting the overall tax burden at all levels of government. Representative Jeff Wood of Chippewa Falls, the chief Assembly negotiator, called this constitutional amendment "a blueprint for restraint in government in Wisconsin." Most tax increases, whether at the state, county or local level, would require voter approval.
This Taxpayer Protection Act also places limits on the sorts of fees often charged by local units of government. West Bend Senator Glenn Grothman already anticipates opposition on that front. "Some organized groups, supposedly representing local officials, are not going to be if favor of this," he said.
Rich Eggleston with the Wisconsin Alliance of Cities says the amendment is not needed, and that legislators in Madison simply need to learn how to say "no" -- something he maintains local governments are already quite good at.
Legislative leaders hope to pass this constitutional amendment in April. It would then have to pass a second session of the legislature before going to a statewide referendum. That could happen as soon as April, 2007.
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