Corporate WISTAX Attacks Wages with Industry-Paid Junk Science Report

MADISON, Wis. — The conservative, pro-corporate Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX) has joined the fight to reduce wages for hard-working Wisconsinites, authoring a “junk science” propaganda document against prevailing wages, financed by special interest groups who want lower wages for workers in Wisconsin. One Wisconsin Now, which has long documented the conservative and corporate biases of WISTAX, said it was the latest example of the organization’s agenda.

“Our analysis in 2010 showed 93 percent of contributions made by board members of WISTAX went to Republicans, which was even higher than the 84 percent to Republicans for giving by board members of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce,” said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now. “WISTAX has long been in the tank for the corporate special interests and their being paid by a group fighting for lower wages to produce junk science on behalf of this special interest group is the latest in the long history of pro-conservative bias.”

One Wisconsin Now is re-releasing numerous comprehensive research documents on WISTAX bias, including:

WISTAX Annotated — Showing WISTAX bias using their own documents.

WISTAX Education Misfire — An analysis showing how WISTAX manipulated and ignored data to support the school privatization industry’s claim Wisconsin schools are failing

WISTAX Connections, I — Connections between WISTAX, the Tax Foundation and the Koch’s Americans for Prosperity.

WISTAX Connections, II —Connections Between WISTAX and the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

WISTAX Connections, III — Connections Between WISTAX and the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce.

The “Total Taxes” Total Fallacy.

And a special quiz: WISTAX or WISGOP — A series of statements where the reader can guess whether this was a comment from the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance or the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

Critical Reader Checklist — Questions to Ask When Reading WISTAX Propaganda.

“When it comes to taxation and budgeting, you are almost exclusively going to get the conservative argument from the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance and it’s time WISTAX ideological biases are treated the same way any other liberal or conservative groups are treated,” said Ross.