FreedomWorks Opposes Wisconsin Tax Hike

Sometimes it seems like the foxes are running the hen-house. Even though Wisconsin is already one of the highest taxed states in the nation, a group of state legislators are proposing a 129 percent tax increase on cigarettes in order to further grow the size of government. Instead of looking for savings and efficiency, Representatives Gielow, Wasserman, and Hines are proposing to tax Wisconsinites even more to fix the state’s budget woes.

While smokers may be an easy target of tax-and-spend liberals, this tax doesn’t just hurt smokers, but it hurts convenience store owners, the tavern owners, and disproportionately affects poor and middle-class workers. That’s because unreasonably high cigarette taxes often drive smokers to buy their cigarettes online, from Indian reservations, or from nearby states with lower tax rates. Indeed, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois will all have lower state cigarette tax rates if this measure is passed.

WI State Director Cameron Sholty commented:

“In fiscal year 2004, Wisconsin smokers paid over $291.3 million in state cigarette taxes, yet Representatives Gielow, Wasserman, and Hines are targeting them to pay $250 million more.”

“A tax increase is a tax increase—just because these legislators are targeting one group of Wisconsin residents doesn’t mean that more taxes and spending are a good idea. That’s why FreedomWorks Wisconsin is mobilizing against this proposal. Higher cigarette taxes will drive shoppers out of the state, kill jobs, and hit the working poor hardest.”

“Since when is it acceptable to pursue tax increases to solve budget deficits instead of finding fat to trim? And why during these budget negotiations do we only hear about ill-advised tax hikes— not reining in government spending? These budget deliberations are shaping up to be nothing more than a Pandora’s box of tax increases and fund transfers.”