Monday, July 4, 2016

Walker Thought His Business Tax Break Would Stimulate The Economy. The Early Returns Aren’t Good.

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/06/30/3794729/scott-walker-mac-tax-break-for-rich-not-working-for-everyone-else/
"In 2011 — the same year Scott Walker became governor — Wisconsin enacted a Manufacturing and Agriculture Credit (MAC) meant to stimulate the state economy by providing tax relief for those who use property for productive purposes. A new study indicates it’s providing lots of tax relief for the rich but not much economic stimulus for anybody else. The Wisconsin Budget Project study finds that MAC is taking a much greater toll on the state budget than lawmakers envisioned. Though it was initially estimated that the credit would reduce tax collections by $129 million in fiscal year 2017, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue now estimates it’ll cost $284 million next year. That’s roughly $30 million more than the amount Walker and the Republican-controlled legislature cut from the University of Wisconsin System in 2015."