Badger Blog Alliance

Sic Semper Tyrannis

Monday, January 05, 2009

If you earned three dollars, you got to keep two! Well, almost.

The Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance reports that federal, state, and local taxes in Wisconsin added up to more than a third of personal income last year:

MADISON—Wisconsin’s tax burden fell slightly in 2008 to 34.2% of personal income, from 34.9% in 2007.
More than one dollar out of every three earned. And that doesn't - does not - include fees. How can government need more when we're giving them so much already?

WTA acknowledges that "Part of the change may be attributed to a slowing economy impacting tax collections," but in case you think that's the whole reason taxes are so high...

Since 1980, Wisconsin taxes have been lower in only six years.
So this - more than a dollar out of every three - is actually on the low end of the range for us.