Democrats consider hospital, estate taxes to plug Wis. budget gap
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - State Democratic leaders are considering a tax on hospitals and a plan to continue collecting the estate tax to help erase a projected budget shortfall.
Governor Doyle and Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker says the ideas could be part of an emergency package to cope with tax collections that are running $650 million below projections.
Doyle says the hospital tax would mean more than $400 million in federal Medicaid reimbursement funds, which would then free up state tax dollars to offset the growing deficit.
Assembly Republicans killed the same idea last year, warning it would drive up health care costs.
As of January first, Wisconsin went along with a federal law that suspended collection of the estate tax until 2011. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau says reversing that decision would bring in $90 million over two fiscal years.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Feb 16, 2008 at 11:40 p.m.
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If you drive a car, I'll tax the street
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat
If you get too cold I'll tax the heat
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet
Feb 16, 2008 at 6:43 p.m.
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Just like a democrat. Have they ever heard anything except raising taxes. We wonder why the state can not keep jobs here. The taxes are killing us. Is it the democrats plan to have every single job leave WI?
Feb 16, 2008 at 1:51 p.m.
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How about a different plan? -- Reduce Spending!!!
Our state already taxes the senior citizens in nursing homes who've saved for years to pay for their care an extra $75 a month for Medicaid for others. Now they want to tax us for being hospitalized or dying? This is *our* hard-earned money, legislators, not a freebie up for grabs. In case you haven't noticed, many Wisconsinites are struggling with lay-offs and foreclosures, so please keep your hands out of our pockets!
Feb 15, 2008 at 11 p.m.
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Reinstate the estate tax. Great. Work all of your life and leave something to your loved ones when you pass on and they get taxed on items/monies which have already been taxed once. Double dipping Doyle ought to be his new name.
Feb 15, 2008 at 9:50 p.m.
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Lets see - the governor is "for the middle class" - the governor wants to bring down the cost of health care - the governor wants to balance the state budget - I think he's 0 for 3 with this one.
Feb 15, 2008 at 6:37 p.m.
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Soon the governor will call for an increase in the sales tax, then an increase in the income tax, then a raise in fees, then he'll want to raid the transportation fund,and the patient compensation fund. Then he'll push for healthy wisconsin, then he'll push for an end to the QEO, then he'll shortchange property tax relief. After all, there's 3 more years till re-election.
Feb 15, 2008 at 4:47 p.m.
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You can't tax anything without taxing everyone. This is a classic example of putting lipstick on the pig to raise taxes. So, everybody pucker up!
Feb 15, 2008 at 12:59 p.m.
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Hey Gov Doyle, how many airplanes does the state of Wisconsin still own??? remember how you said you were going to sell some of them?? so you got rid of a couple right?? So we still have about 20? We are not as stupid as you think we are. I emailed Judy robison about this several times and she didnt even have the courtesy to answer.
Feb 15, 2008 at 12:55 p.m.
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Gov. how about collecting from the casino first,you let them have a free ride because they donated to your campaign. they owe millions to the state of Wisconsin, you are over budget because you give it to them that dont want to work and then expect us to bail you out. Why do you think americans are fed up with politicians of all parties???
Feb 15, 2008 at 12:19 p.m.
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how about cut out some of the stupid hand out programs taxes could stay the same and still increase the quaility of wisconsin life but that is not what we will do with a demo governor
Feb 15, 2008 at 12:09 p.m.
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We can't expect to have quality without increasing taxes once in a while. Republicans love to brag about their tax cuts putting money in peoples' pockets, but look at what it does to our budgets. We can't keep spending more than we take in, and we'll never be able to improve our state without increasing taxes a bit once in a while.
Feb 15, 2008 at 11:54 a.m.
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Is that the same Hospital Tax that the Wisconsin Hospital Association lifted its opposition to last fall?
http://www.wha.org/pubArchive/valued_voi...
Feb 15, 2008 at 11:36 a.m.
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The Republicans are right on this one - it will drive up health care costs. If you tax the hospitals they will pass that cost on to the patients.
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