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Also by Beth Mueller:
- Lobby aims to resurrect 'death tax' (February 1, 2008)
- Dems release stimulus plan (January 31, 2008)
- Assembly to light up or put out smoking ban (January 31, 2008)
- Don't call my cell phone, lawmaker demands (January 31, 2008)
- State: IT failures due to oversight (January 30, 2008)
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- State gains 53,000 jobs (November 8, 2004)
- Doyle criticizes Legislature agenda (November 5, 2003)
- Republicans launch agenda (September 29, 2004)
- Legislators call for more aid when tuition goes up (January 29, 2008)
by Beth Mueller
Thursday, January 31, 2008
State Senate Democrats announced Wednesday their plan to rev up Wisconsin’s troubled economic outlook, including $50 million for highways and $5 million a year for technical colleges.
They said the plan would create more than 2,500 new jobs and intend to pay for it by closing the “Las Vegas Loophole,” a tax that affects only companies that operate in Wisconsin. Democrats reported the move would bring in $90 million a year.
Assembly Republicans met the plan with criticism, saying their agenda has more in common with Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle’s initiatives announced in the State of the State Address, and the Democrats are burdening the economy with spending.
“Our package invests in Wisconsin workers, businesses and our infrastructure,” said Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, D-Weston. “If we want to jumpstart Wisconsin’s economy now, we have to focus our state resources on programs we know will produce a big bang for the buck.”
The most spending would go to transportation in the State Highway Rehabilitation and Major Highway Development Programs.
“We know there are road projects waiting to be done, and they provide good, family-supporting jobs that cannot be shipped overseas,” Decker said.
Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point, said increasing funding to technical colleges would fill employers’ needs for highly skilled workers and keep jobs in Wisconsin.
“The Wisconsin technical college system has the capacity to recognize and respond to employers’ needs, but currently many schools have a one-year waiting list or longer for the programs that will train these workers because the system lacks the funds to expand these programs,” Lassa said.
Lassa also praised Wisconsin’s university system for putting Wisconsin in a position to compete with other states for technology jobs.
“Jobs in the information technology and life sciences areas are the kinds of high-wage jobs we want to attract to the state of Wisconsin,” Lassa said.
Doyle spokesperson Carla Vigue said an emphasis on educational investment is one thing the Democrats and the governor shared in their plans.
“The governor has always made investing in financial aid a top priority,” Vigue said. “He knows in order to have the workers for the jobs for the future we need to have a great education system.”
Vigue said in the face of economic downturn in Wisconsin, working together with both parties and both houses is more important than ever, but there were some parts of the Democrats’ plan that didn’t align with the governor’s.
“There are some concerns with the Democrats’ plan, mainly the $50 million in transportation spending,” Vigue said.
Rep. Pat Strachota, R-West Bend, said Assembly Republicans were working closely with Doyle, but “Senate Democrats try to sabotage our efforts by proposing huge tax
increases for Wisconsin-based businesses.”
Assembly Majority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, criticized the plan for increasing taxes and spending.
“To spur economic growth we should be making it easier and less expensive to create jobs here in the state,” Fitzgerald said in a statement. “Instead, Democrats want to put a greater governmental burden on our already lagging economy.”
Anonymous (January 31, 2008 @ 10:36am):
"...closing the Las Vegas Loophole, a tax that affects only companies that operate in Wisconsin."
THAT will sure lure more jobs to Wisconsin, I'll bet lots of companies want to pay as much tax as they possibly can. Wsiconsin is the place to operate if you want to max your tax.
How about that for a state slogan?
MAX YOUR TAX
Yeah, that's the ticket! That will entice LOTS of businesses to locate their jobs in Wisconsin!
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