The Latest Tax and Spending Rankings for Wisconsin

Link to August 5 Wisconsin Taxpayers' Alliance new release, "Census Reports New State Tax, Spending Ranks. Why Do Tax, Spending Rankings Differ?"

Excerpt:    New state rankings show Wisconsin placed 13th on state-local taxes but 25th on spending, according to a Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX) analysis of 2008 figures released last month by the U.S. Census Bureau. Wisconsin residents paid 11.76% of state personal income in 2008 state and local taxes, compared to a national average of 11.20%.

State-local government spending in Wisconsin claimed about 20.5% of total state personal income in 2008, compared to 20.2% nationally, WISTAX found.

“Why do Wisconsin taxes rank higher than spending?” asked Todd A. Berry, President of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to public-policy research and citizen education.

“Because Wisconsin ranks 38th in federal money received and 29th in fees,” Berry continued, “we tax ourselves for services that other states pay for with federal dollars or fees.” [Emphasis added.]