To The Telegram:
For 160 years state legislators and taxpayers have talked about property tax reform in Wisconsin. When voters vote for new politicians, it will happen. Our homes and farms should be our castles, not our tax prisons. Taxes should be based on income, ability to pay and fairness.
Our forefathers never intended that our state legislators make property taxes so high that owners are driven from their land and homes. They did not intend that states make tax laws that deny any citizen equal protection under the law by exempting one person, group or class from taxes at another's expense.
The Department of Revenue booklet "Summary of Tax Exemption Devices" lists 300 Wisconsin tax exemption devices that exempt about 50 percent of property, income and sales from Wisconsin taxes benefiting campaign contributors at the expense of the rest of us.
When voters demand repeal of all tax exemption devices and special interest benefits, new lawmakers can slash property taxes 85 percent to a local tax for property relate services, finance education equitably with general revenues, exempt poverty level income from tax for every taxpayer, lower sales tax and income tax rates to 4 percent, and end the special interest influence in Wisconsin.
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-- Gary Bahr,
Belleville
