Tax Reform

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Another $5.7 billion for Wisconsin governments is insane

An unnecessary second stimulus is an invitation for state, county and local officials to act irresponsibly with our tax money
By Mike Konecny

An artificial boom

Massive federal spending leaves many in the Badger State better off, but the bill is coming due
By Michael Jahr

Tax Options to Promote Short-Term Recovery and Long-Term Economic Growth in Wisconsin

The policy decisions state policymakers make in the months ahead will have far-reaching implications for how quickly jobs and wages are restored in Wisconsin.
By Katherine Loughead
July 16, 2020

Less driving, less tax revenue

Highway funding, which relies on the gas tax, will be hard hit as fuel sales decline
By Robert W. Poole Jr.
April 14, 2020

Bill to apply a tax on propane sales sets a bad precedent

The Legislature should not delegate taxing responsibility and authority to an industry association
By David Fladeboe
March 5, 2020

Tougher on Taxpayers

Wisconsin's prison system will require hundreds of millions of dollars for new construction, operating costs just to keep up with population growth.
By Patrick Hughes
February 11, 2020

The demise of Illinois' flat tax

Switching to a progressive income tax structure would drive Illinois even further behind Wisconsin.
By Jay Miller
July 31, 2019

Overall tax reform in Wisconsin depends on the sales tax

Department of Revenue's guidelines on taxing ice cream cakes illustrate the absurd complexity of state's sales tax system.
By Jay Miller
April 25, 2019

Marriage Penalty

How Wisconsin policy punishes low-income families for getting married - and what to do about it
February 2019

Wisconsin Tax Options

A guide to fair, simple, pro-growth reform
By Katherine Loughead, Jared Walczak and Joseph Bishop-Henchman
February 2019

Online Sales Tax Revenue Presents Opportunity for Permanent, Comprehensive Tax Reform in Wisconsin

A policy brief from the Tax Foundation and the Badger Institute.
August 2018

Arbitrary tax breaks neither good policy nor good economics

Broad-based Wisconsin tax reform should be the goal
By Jay Miller
May 7, 2018

New tax law offers chance to infuse private capital into distressed areas

Governors can nominate up to 25 percent of low-income areas in their respective states to be OZs, subject to Treasury approval.
By Jay Miller
March 14, 2018

New federal tax law should prod Wisconsin to enact tax reform

Residents in high-tax states like ours are stung harder by cap on state/local tax deduction.
By Jay Miller
February 20, 2018

It's time to look at Wisconsin tax reform

Many taxpayers in the Badger State could take a hit under changes proposed in House Republican tax bill.
By Jay Miller
November 8, 2017

State legislators should focus on these tax numbers

Badger State residents still pay a mother lode of taxes — way more, given how little the average Wisconsinite makes, than almost anyone else in America.
By Mike Nichols
July 5, 2017

Are high taxes driving away workers from Wisconsin?

Claiming to have a workforce strategy without a real strategy to attract and retain people makes little sense.
By Tom Hefty
June 28, 2017

EITC expansion will help Wisconsin's low- and middle-income workers

The EITC promotes the expansion of the labor market by increasing the reward to work, while at the same time making it more attractive for businesses to hire.
By Andrew Hanson
February 16, 2017

Chris Abele's zero state taxes is a non-story

For better or worse, the tax laws are designed not just to collect revenue. They also aim to encourage certain types of behavior, such as being charitable or investing in risky enterprises that, if successful, lead to job creation.
By Jay Miller
August 9, 2016

Why Wisconsin remains a tax hell

New findings trumpeted by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel fail to break down Wisconsin’s tax burden by income categories or on a regional basis.
By Jay Miller
December 15, 2015

Is it time for nonprofits to pay property taxes?

Tax-exempt institutions pay utility fees for their use of electricity and water. Shouldn’t a tax for their ownership of property be viewed in the same light?
By Jay Miller
February 3, 2015

Can State Pull Its Punches? New Tax Policy Needed to Help Wisconsin Prosper

Economists from Suffolk University’s Beacon Hill Institute for Public Policy have determined through economic modeling that Wisconsin would benefit long-term from further tax cuts. Yet, they’ve found, Wisconsin doesn’t just suffer from high taxes. It suffers from the wrong tax mix.
By David Tuerck, Paul Bachman, Michael Head and Frank Conte
September 2014