Sean Ryan [email protected] Forgiving $29,900 in back taxes on a contaminated half-acre in West Allis is the only way Milwaukee County can avoid a $150,000 demolition bill for a building on the land. The building at 1928 S. 62nd St. ...

Tagged with: cleanup contamination demolition development Milwaukee County property tax West Allis Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

By Matt Pommer Which is worse: high property taxes or a growing federal deficit? The issue seems linked to the $23 billion education jobs bill pending in Congress. A total of $415 million would go to Wisconsin schools. The bill ...

Tagged with: democrat Feingold Pommer property tax Republican schools stimulus

By Matt Pommer Wisconsin’s economic downturn in the early 1980s was far worse than the current recession if seasonally adjusted unemployment numbers are the measuring stick. The state experienced 13 straight months of double digit unemployment in the early 1980s. ...

Tagged with: budget income tax Pommer property tax recession sales tax unemployment Wisconsin Way

By Paul Snyder La Crosse County has more than $20 million in highway work it cannot afford. And unless a bill to repeal a 17-year-old tax limit becomes law, County Administrator Steve O’Malley said, the situation will get worse: The ...

Tagged with: Gordon Hintz property tax Wisconsin Counties Association

By Matt Pommer Republican gubernatorial hopeful Mark Neumann contends his GOP opponent Scott Walker is “promising the world to get elected” to avoid a focus on his years as Milwaukee County executive. Truth rings in Neumann’s assessment that Walker is ...

Tagged with: election GOP governor Mark Neumann Pommer property tax referendum Republican Scott Walker

By Paul Snyder Local governments facing a grim future of postponed roadwork and delayed capital projects are hailing a bill that would force the state to return more money. But standing between the bill’s proposal and passage is the equally ...

Tagged with: bill budget Dan Thompson Fitzgerald Huck income tax Krueger League of Wisconsin Municipalities Plale property tax roadwork sales tax shared revenue Wisconsin Alliance of Cities

By Matt Pommer Gov. Jim Doyle wants a constitutional amendment to give the Legislature more freedom on taxes, especially the property tax. The idea has the potential to refocus the tax debate during the 2010 election campaign and open the ...

Tagged with: amendment democrat Gov. Jim Doyle property tax Republican Scott Walker tax

By Matt Pommer Republican gubernatorial front-runner Scott Walker promises to eliminate the income-tax bite on retirement income. Wisconsin already exempts Social Security from its income tax. The La Crosse Tribune reported that Walker made the promise to eliminate the state ...

Tagged with: governor Harley-Davidson income tax property tax recession Republican Scott Walker Social Security stimulus

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers want to extend $31 billion in popular tax breaks, including an income tax deduction for sales and property taxes. The problem: how to pay for it. The House planned to ...

Tagged with: house income tax Obama property tax

By Matt Pommer When asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton answered “because that’s where the money is.” Folks upset about taxes might want to remember the answer from the infamous bank robber. If you don’t like your taxes, try ...

Tagged with: education Legislative Fiscal Bureau property tax sales tax