Fact check on today's editorial...

Editorial: 'No' the only way to go on sales tax

http://www.wisinfo.com/northwestern/news/opinion/stories/opinion_22585530.shtml

Statement:
No Winnebago County Board supervisor can support a half-cent sales tax Tuesday's in good conscience. Why? County leaders have not explored any meaningful cuts that justify levying a new tax, putting a new burden on folks who can afford it least.

Facts:
1. There was no member of the Northwestern's editorial staff at Mr. Harris' presentation before the board of the cunecessaryary to reach a 0% or 2% budget. He has pursued every avenue of cutting possible. He outlined them in detail.

2. The tax is not on those who can afford it the least. I have calculator at my website (http://jef4wi.com/slstxsht1a.xls and http://jef4wi.com/slstxsht1b.xls) that shows those working poor and elderly homeowners will actually save money on this tax. Half of the tax burden will fall on people from outise the county, people that are not currently paying in, and the services cut will overwhelmingly effect the poorest among us.


Statement:
Property tax levies in Winnebago County from 1993 to 2002 increased 98.4 percent, or about 10 percent annually. That happened before the property value increases in Oshkosh this year that will raise taxes higher for thousands of your constituents.

Facts:
Mr. Harris has proposed a 2% budget increase with this tax. It is the leanest budget proposed for Winnebago County in over a decade, maybe more. It is intellectually dishonest to say this responsible budget is wrong because past ones have been.


Statement:
Those same property owning families, incidentally, cut costs when they have bills that outstrip their income.

Facts:
The county, when it cuts costs, cuts services. These services are overwhelmingly to the poorest of us that the Northwestern is claiming to argue for. Once again, go to the calculator, most property owning families of fixed or lower means will save money after the sales tax.


Statement:
But Harris campaigned that he would support a sales tax to reduce property taxes instead of for new spending.

Facts:
There is no new spending, costs go up, that is what Mr. Harris is proposing the tax for - he is actually cutting overall.


Statement:
Statistics show that fewer than 30 percent of Wisconsin counties with a sales tax use them to offset property taxes, according to a 2002 study by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance.

Facts:
All revenue collected through a sales tax offsets property taxes. It is money that will not be needed to levy through property taxes.


Statement:
Last year and the year previous, county government increased spending by $5 million after drawing on reserves. A half-cent sales tax in its first year will increase the county's tax capacity $7 million more. A half-cent sales tax in 2007 will increase that capacity $12 million more.

Facts:
1. Because Jane VanDeHey drew on the reserves is one reason that we cannot cover her costs through the property tax levy. This was spending that should be matched this year to provide the same level of service, however because it was not part of last year's levy, it cannot be raised this year after the freeze. Had we had a balanced budget last year, it would be easier to make budget without the sales tax.

2. The sales tax cannot pass with out property tax relief - it is part of the resolution.


Statement:
There are ways to save money. They are well known and have been discussed.

Facts:
The Northwestern has only suggested that we save money by lowering union pay (illegally) by changing contracts that were bargained in good faith. This is not a way to save money.