GOP JFC Hosting ‘Corporate Tax Giveaway Day’

MADISON, Wis. — The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee is expected today to raise taxes on the working poor by $43 million. They will also approve handing out $83 million in tax breaks to businesses, a central part of Gov. Scott Walker’s giveaway to the corporate special interests which financed his election. Even worse, the JFC scheme will reduce the number of auditors to bring tax cheats to justice, as well as discourage the state from investigating companies suspected of setting up out-of-state shell companies to avoid paying Wisconsin tax.

“Later today, the Republicans running the state’s budget writing committee will pay off the millions spent by special interests to finance their majority and Gov. Scott Walker’s election,” said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director. “They’ll pay for them in part by hiking taxes on Wisconsinites by $43 million and by drastic cuts they’ve already made to public education.”

Among the provisions expected to pass the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee later today include:

• Changes to the state’s combined reporting law, which will allow corporations to write off losses before 2009.
  2011-13 Cost to Wisconsin taxpayers: $46.4 million
  [JFC, Paper #310]
• Changes to capital gains taxes for certain businesses.
  2011-13 Cost to Wisconsin taxpayers: $36.3 million
  [JFC, Paper #311]
• Changes to the Earned Income Tax Credit.
  2011-13 Increased taxes for Wisconsin taxpayers: $43.5 million
  [JFC, Paper #312]

In addition, JFC is expected make changes related to the ability of Wisconsin’s Department of Revenue to go after businesses suspected of avoiding their tax responsibility to the people of Wisconsin, as well as reduce by attrition, the number of auditors to investigate supposed tax avoidance. [JFC Paper #570, Paper #318]

“Gov. Walker and the Republicans call for ”shared sacrifice,’ but their plan is that Wisconsin’s middle class sacrifices and corporations share our tax dollars,” said Ross. “This is just latest in an endless series of bad choices, power grabs and attacks on working families perpetrated by Gov. Walker and the Republican legislative majority.”