Argh.
Republicans on the Legislature’s budget committee voted Thursday night to increase vehicle title fees by $95 and registration fees by $10 to generate hundreds of millions for Wisconsin road projects in the next state budget.
Altogether, the moves would generate $393 million in new revenue for transportation, a total about $200 million less than Gov. Tony Evers wanted, but more than in any budget signed by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Republicans would also use another $90 million from the state’s general fund to pay for road projects, bringing the total new funding to $484 million.
What are we up to now? $1 billion in additional spending? $2 billion? I lost count.
The Walker years were great for a lot of reasons, but one of the areas where he failed was to restrain government spending. Despite the wails to the contrary, government spending went up in every budget in Walker’s terms. Now that we have a Democrat governor, the spending is going to go up even further. The difference is that now the tax and fee increases are going with the spending.
Wisconsin is a tax hell because it’s government spends too much dang money. And nobody plans to change that.
Wisconsin budget 2017-2019 $76 billion
Arizona budget $20 billion.
Arizona has 2 million more people than Wisconsin.
Enough said.
Putting aside the topic of how much will be spent, I do like the strategy of looking at fee increases versus raising the gas tax. Gas taxes were already raised due to increased fuel efficiency reducing revenue. Now you factor in loss of revenue due to electric/hybrid vehicles. Those vehicles still utilize road capacity. Besides not paying fuel tax, the electric that they use is exempt from sales tax for 6 months of the year. At the end of this year the electrical vehicle tax credit will end, but in the meantime, some of those vehicles were subsidized to the tune of $7,500 tax credit. In the Milwaukee Journal the other day, a Democratic rep talked about the gas tax being fairer because otherwise out-of-state travelers would benefit at the expense of WI drivers who are paying the fees.
Just put incoming traffic toll booths at the Illinois and Minnesota borders to complement our registration fee increases. That way, everybody pays for our highway maintenance.
Much of budget is education.
We just give students $7500 voucher and cut off all other education funding including local property tax, let schools compete!
That move cuts education spending budget in 1/2! $15k is average public school spend.
Do it!
And yet another attempt by the R’s to take local control away from the locals.
“The GOP transportation motion also included a provision that would curb the ability of local governments to regulate quarries”.
How much have the R’s spent already trying to figure this out with nothing to show for it?
“In the 2011 state budget, Republicans commissioned a study that explored long-term answers to road funding. The final report suggested a variety of options for increasing revenue, from raising the gas tax, to a mileage-based vehicle registration. None of the ideas were adopted.
In the 2015 budget, Republicans ordered another study of road funding. That report also suggested options like raising the gas tax or vehicle registration fees. Again, the ideas were rejected.
Republican lawmakers called for yet another transportation study in the 2017 budget, although this one could have been more consequential. It would have spent $2.5 million to implement toll roads in Wisconsin. Walker vetoed the study at the request of a group of state Senate Republicans.
The budget motion approved Thursday includes a new $2.5 million study, this one to explore “mileage-based fees.” While that could mean mileage-based vehicle registration fees, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau said the term is generic enough that it could refer to tolling”.
And how about this taxation without representation measure ?
https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/transportation-plan-could-give-finance-committee-authority-to-hike-new/article_3d03439a-39e5-5904-a939-baae5d88f23a.html#tracking-source=home-top-story
Mar, do you think Arizona won’t be paying extra twenty years from now when their infrastructure needs replacing?
Jjf… what? Are you implying Arizon has never had architecture prior to this year? Or a sudden and massive reduction in their budget just this year?
>do you think Arizona won’t be paying extra twenty years from now when their infrastructure needs replacing?
Do you even think before you ask these stupid questions of yours?
Do you think Arizona is growing quickly?
“Do you think Arizona is growing quickly?”
Oh my gosh yes. First, we are getting those fleeing California.
Then retirees, especially snowbirds are moving here.
And what attracts them are extremely low property taxes, lower cost of living and housing and less regulation.
In our small town in northwest Arizona, I bet our population has increased by a third in the past 3 years
>Do you think Arizona is growing quickly?
You could have just answered “No” to my question.
Sorry for trying to educate you Jason.