Blog
3/1/19
Digital FAQ
We go all-digital on April 1, 2019! If you’re a current contributor, please send your email address to info@wispolicyforum.org. When are Focus and The Wisconsin Taxpayer going paperless? The print edition of both publications ends April 1, 2019. How do I continue to receive these publications? Send your email address...
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2/21/19
How Heavily Do WI Municipalities Rely on the Property Tax?
The Wisconsin Policy Forum compared city and village revenues in this state to those of municipalities in other states around the country. The study found municipalities here depend more heavily on the property tax and rely less on other revenue sources such as the sales tax. Here are some of...
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1/26/19
2019 Annual Meeting
Nearly 200 people attended our 2019 annual meeting on Thursday, January 24. Our program featured a conversation with Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan, who discussed the upcoming state budget and the policy challenges and priorities of the new administration. We provided our own analysis of the state’s fiscal condition and budget issues...
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1/3/19
News & Updates | 4th Quarter 2018
President’s message When the merger between the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX) and Public Policy Forum (PPF) became official at the stroke of midnight last December 31, I must admit that I felt both a great deal of excitement and a healthy amount of trepidation. Could we continue WISTAX’s prolific analysis...
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1/3/19
4th Quarter 2018 President’s Message
When the merger between the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance and Public Policy Forum became official at the stroke of midnight last December 31, I must admit that I felt both a great deal of excitement and a healthy amount of trepidation. Could we continue WISTAX’s prolific analysis of state and local...
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12/13/18
Can the Private Sector Help Address Greater Milwaukee’s Infrastructure Woes?
More than 200 people attended our Viewpoint Luncheon in Milwaukee, Can the Private Sector Help Address Greater Milwaukee’s Infrastructure Woes? which explored the role the private sector might play in addressing local government infrastructure challenges. The Wisconsin Policy Forum’s series of reports on local government infrastructure has pointed to vast repair and...
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11/20/18
School Referenda in Wisconsin-Fall 2018 Election Update
Voters this month approved school referenda at rates not seen previously, making 2018 the highest year on record with more than $2 billion in additional school spending passed. Our latest Focus looks at the updated trends in school referenda. Our interactive dashboards provide more school referenda figures, including district by district data....
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10/24/18
10 Questions for Candidates: Tony Evers
To inform voters ahead of the November election, we published a report in August looking at key issues in the state along with 10 questions for legislative and gubernatorial candidates. At the same time, WPF sent the 10 questions to the two major candidates for governor. On Sept. 22, we...
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10/5/18
Average New Construction by County
Counties rely on property tax collections as a main source of revenue. However, since 2006, the state legislature has limited counties’ property tax increases to the amount of new construction or development. From 2006 through 2011, the state provided a minimum allowable levy increase, or floor, which permitted a county...
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