2010 News Releases 

August 2010

National Report Examines Finances of States   version

One-Third of Counties Offer Health Insurance to County Board Chairs   version

Counties Slow Their Rate of Tax Increases    version

Find Out How Your School District Stacks Up    version

Census Reports New State Tax, Spending Ranks    version  audio

Election Year Resolutions for Voters    version  audio

July 2010

Wisconsin Sees Spike in Number of Candidates Running for Legislature    version

Municipal Spending Increases Averaged 3.7% Since 2004     version

Net Property Taxes Claim 4.5% of State Income in 2010, Highest Since 1996   

  version  audio

June 2010

How Active Was The 2009-10 Legislative Session?    version

 

May 2010

WI State and Local Debt Rose Faster Than Federal Debt During 1990-2009   version

March 2010

Wisconsin Government Employment Per Capita 8.2% Smaller Than U.S. Average    version 

February 2010

Wisconsin Loses 4.3% of Business Establishments in 2006-09    version 

Municipal Fee Growth Out Paces Property Taxes    version 

New Federal and State Income Tax Law Changes    version 

Net GPR Spending UP 1.5%, While All-Funds Expenditures up over 10% in 2009-11 State Budget     version 

January 2010

Federal, State and Local Tax Collections from Wisconsin Fell 12.4% in 2009    version 

 

 

 

2010 News Releases 

August 2009

Wisconsin Income Tax Ranks Among Highest in Nation     version  

Property Taxes Continue to Rise, But at a Slower Pace     version  

New State Budget Has Contradictions, Surprises     version  audio

July 2009

Tax Incremental Financing Growing     version  

New State Budget Changes Little in Final Stages     version  audio

June 2009

Getting to the point:  State budget in progress  audio

May 2009

Investment Losses in State Retirement Fund to Affect Taxpayers, Retirees  

   version   audio

April 2009

Wisconsin State Budget Process: Many Opportunities for Delay, Politics audio

Impact of State Revenue Limit Law Varies by School District     version  audio

Despite Weak Economy, Education. Exports, and Health Show Strength     version  

Burying Controversy in Budget Compromises Citizens' Voice     version  audio

February 2009

Milwaukee Public Schools Differ From Other Large Districts     version  audio

 

January 2009

Many Federal, Few Wisconsin Changes to Income Tax Laws     version

Control of State Government Shifts; Flood of New Faces     version

Wisconsin Communities Benefit from $60 Million Tax on Tourists    version

Wisconsin Federal, State, and Local Taxes Claimed 34.2% of Income in 2008    version

 

December 2008

Wisconsin's Most Unmentioned Story of 2008?    version

School and Tech College Tax Hikes Lead Way    version

Wisconsin Ranks 11th in Total Government Units with 3,120    version

How Big is the State Deficit    version

 

October 2008

Public School Enrollments Continue to Decline    version

U.S. Income Tax Data for Election Time and Beyond    version

Most Wisconsin Counties Lag In Income Growth    version

Wisconsin's Constitution Answers Many Questions    version

Wisconsin Economy Lags Nation's    version

 

September 2008

Wisconsin Legislative Pay Among Top Ten Nationally    version

Help for Voters in Talking with Legislative Candidates    version

WISTAX Informs Debate on Higher Education Funding    version

Local Spending Increases Average 3.2% Since 2002    version

 

August 2008

$525 Million Buys Fire Protection Services for Wisconsin    version

Increase in Value of Wisconsin's Property Smallest Since 1987    version

State Students Score Well on ACT, But Many Still Unprepared for College    version

 

July 2008

Net Property Tax Levies Up 5.7% in 2008    version

Todd Berry to Address Marathon County Towns and Villages Associations    version

WISTAX Offers Candidates Public-Service "Prep" Packets    version

Wisconsin Ranked 10th in State-Local Debt Service    version

 

June 2008

WISTAX Pres To Discuss State's Economy at Forward Janesville    version

Law Enforcement More Expensive in 2006, Costs Growing Faster Than New Officers    version

State-Local Government Expenditures 22nd Nationally    version

State Tax Burden Rose to 12.3%, But Ranking Dropped    version

 

May 2008

Report Card Time for State, Too    version

Wisconsin Virtual School Enrollment Growing Rapidly    version

 

April 2008

Wisconsin Spent 8.5% More Than U.S. to Operate Schools    version

Wisconsin's Highly Ranked Health Care System Comes at a Price    version

Debt Service Emerging as Major State Expense    version

 

March 2008

Short-Term Solutions Likely to Dominate State Budget "Fix"    version

Supreme Court Candidates Speak to Voters    version

April Referendum Tackles Governor's Veto Power    version

Towns Cover 94% of Badger State    version

 

February 2008

Taxes Accounted for Nearly 35 Cents of Every Wisconsin Dollar in 2007    version

Coming Revenue Shortfall Shows Wisconsin Budget Vulnerability    version

 

January 2008

Wisconsin's General Fund Deficit Grows 13.7% to $2.44 Billion    version

 

 

 

2007 News Releases

December 2007

Wisconsin Estate Tax to End January 1    version

School Taxes Up Most Since 1992-93     version

 

November 2007

State Sales Tax Lagging     version

County Spending Up 23.4% Over Five Years     version

 

October 2007

Per Student School Spending Climbs 4.2%, Student Counts Erode Slightly     version

New WISTAX Textbook Prepares Students for Active Citizenship     version

 

September 2007

"Hot" Home Market Was Key to Property Tax Shift     version

Public Benefits 50% Greater Than Those in Private Sector     version

Durham Joins WISTAX as Policy Research Analyst     version

Debt Costs Top Natural Resources, Corrections     version

Since 2000, Wisconsin's Population Growth Moderate     version

August 2007

State Math Scores Rise; Reading Scores Mixed     version

July 2007

Major Shift in State Spending Priorities Found      version

"Freeze" Thaws a Bit in Second Year      version

WISTAX Finds Budgets from Governor, Senate, and Assembly All Fail to Address Deficits, Reserves      version

June 2007

Municipal Spending Grows 2.7% in 2005     version

Tax Relief Programs for Low-Income Families Have Both Benefits and Costs     version

State Finances:  What Would Our Forebears Say? (Guest Column by the President of WISTAX)     version

New Census Figures:  Wisconsin's Tax Rank Falls From Sixth to Eighth     version

May 2007

Municipal Property Taxes Rise 3.5% to $2.095 Billion     version

Clearing Up Tax Rank Confusion (Guest Column by the President of WISTAX)     version

Wisconsin Public Nursing Homes Face Increasing Deficits     version

Wisconsin County Boards Start to Shrink     version

April 2007

Wisconsin's Technical Colleges' Annual Impact Put at $6.9 Billion     version

State Income Tax Facts:  2.8 Million Earners Pay Over $6 Billion     version

March 2007

Voters Face Historic Choice on April 3     version

"Forgotten Taxes" Add Up to Big Revenues     version

Wisconsin Struggles in Key Income Measure     version

New WISTAX Report Tallies Tax and Fee Changes     version

WISTAX Marks 75 Years of Service to Wisconsin Citizens     version

February 2007

New WISTAX Guide Makes Legislator Contact Convenient     version

January 2007

Split Legislature Could Mean Budget Delays Ahead     version

Changes in State, Federal Income Tax Laws Modest     version

Net Property Taxes Statewide to Rise 3.3% to $8.1 billion     version

 

2006 News Releases

December 2006

2006 Total Taxes Rose 4.9% to Claim 33.4% of Wisconsin Personal Income     version

Official State Financial Report Showed $2.15b Deficit in 2005-06     version

Wisconsin Has Fewer Farms, More Efficient Production     version

Madison, Milwaukee Paths Diverge     version

School Levies Statewide Rise 5.4% to $3.79 billion     version

November 2006

School Spending Rises 4.6%, Student Counts Decline for Third Consecutive Year     version

October 2006

On Income, Wealth, There Are "Two Wisconsins"     version

Wisconsin Voters Prefer Time Limits, Smaller Exceptions to School Revenue Caps     version

September 2006

State Finance 101 Prepares Voters     version

Test Your Voter Knowledge     version

Wisconsin School Spending Priorities Compared With Other States     version

WISTAX Adds Communications/Outreach Position     version

August 2006

Property Taxes in 2005-06     version

State-Local Debt, Spending Climb     version

July 2006

New WISTAX Report Questions College Readiness     version

    Correction for UW-Stout figures in Focus #16

Municipal Property Taxes Outpace Freeze, Rise 4.1% in Large Municipalities     version

Municipal Debt Grows Rapidly     version

Per Capita Spending for Basic Municipal Services Up 40% in 10 Years     version

New Figures Show State-Local Governments Here Spend 21.9% of Income     version

June 2006

New Fed Figures Show Wisconsin's Tax Rank Remains High, But Falling      version

Open Enrollment Affected by District Size, Scores      version

May 2006

Wisconsin's "Nickel-and-Dime" Tax Exceeds $4 Billion      version

April 2006

Key Income Measures Dip on State's Annual "Report Card"      version

March 2006

Falling Lottery Sales Lead to Decreased Property Tax Relief     version

February 2006
WISTAX Questions State Budget Balance     version
WISTAX Notes Few Changes in State, Federal Income Taxes     version

January 2006
Wisconsin Losing Young Adults, Retirees; Gaining Young Families     version
State Lost $4.72 Billion to Migration over Five Years      version