Kerry Thomas Opinion & Commentary

It's Turnip Season Again

by Kerry Thomas

December 14, 2004

T'is the season again. That's right, turnip season. The time of year when bureaucratic government taxing agencies do their best to squeeze that last drop of blood from all us turnips, regardless of current economic conditions. In the mind of the bureaucrats, if the economy is good, well, the turnips can afford higher taxes. If the economy is bad, the turnips need their government to spend more to stimulate the economy. Isn't it odd how these government bodies never need to reduce their spending levels?

Now the big spenders in Madison are talking about raising the state sales tax another percentage point, to cover their inept fiscal management. Oh, and to pay for schools. Or, in other words, "it's for the children."

Remember when Wisconsin's sales taxes went from 4% to 5%? That was supposed to be a temporary measure, to cover a short term budget deficit. But in bureaucratspeak, temporary means the same thing as permanent. Wasn't the lottery sold to us the same way? Lottery revenues were supposed to benefit the schools, and reduce our taxes. Same thing for the Qualified Economic Offer (QEO). And while these measures have helped to slow the rate of increase in our taxes, it's still not enough for these bureaucrats. They even let local counties impose another 0.5% sales tax a few years ago. They're trying to tax the internet, and are talking about a national sales tax, ostensibly to replace the income tax.

Eagle River is now considering imposing an additional 0.5% "premier resort tax." Such an innocent term. Makes you think only rich tourists staying at "premier resorts" would have to pay this additional tax, right? Don't bet on it. Remember the federal tax on "the rich" imposed to pay for the costs of the Spanish-American War in 1898? We're all paying that tax today. It's a 3% tax on your monthly phone bill, because, in 1898, only "the rich" had phones.

Whatever did we used to do for ourselves, before our benevolent government decided it had to do all these things for us? Maybe it's time to once again question just how much of our money our government is spending for us. Personally, I'd like to have the option to vote in a referendum on any tax increase.

The only way to keep government from spending our money is to never let them take it in the first place.