Taxing times

Ann Althouse is doing her taxes this weekend. She's not alone. How are your taxes doing? Did they go up? Are you looking at the forms or (more likely) your computer screen and thinking, "Those bastards want more?"

A couple of quotes to cheer you up:

"Just what is the standard deduction for watermelons?"
- Gallagher

"Be wary of strong drink. It may make you shoot at tax collectors - and miss."
- Robert Heinlein

I'm sure you'll appreciate this classic:



Just don't put that song on your I-Pod, because the state plans on taxing that, too. From State Senator Ted Kanavas' office:

State Senator Ted Kanavas (R-Brookfield), as part of his April tax awareness campaign to raise the profile of Governor Doyle’s and the Democrat’s tax and spend proposals, today focused on the creation of the iPod Tax in the 2007-2009 biennial budget.

“Governor Doyle and the Democrat’s iPod Tax would charge a 5% sales tax on every internet media download including music and audiobooks purchased from services like iTunes. The Democrat’s budget taxes everything from Beethoven, to the Beach Boys, to the Bo Deans and will put Wisconsin at a competitive disadvantage as more and more businesses and consumers utilize the ease and efficiency of the Internet,” stated Kanavas.

According to the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau the Governor’s Democratic budget imposes around a $5 million tax on digital downloads over the next two years. The tax will be imposed on music, speeches, recorded books, movies, news programs, live events, ringtones and other products downloaded over the Internet.

“The internet is an amazing tool that allows Wisconsinites to do business worldwide; we should not stifle economic growth and innovation by taxing products sold on the web. In order to be successful long term, Wisconsin needs to be a leader in the high tech economy and must embrace new ideas and markets not tax them,” Kanavas concluded.

Earlier this year, Senator Kanavas and his Republican colleagues unveiled Invest Wisconsin 2.0 which included several tax reduction proposals as well as an across the board tax cut for all Wisconsin families. This release is part of Senator Kanavas’ April Tax Awareness Campaign designed to educate Wisconsinites about the billions of dollars in new taxes and fees contained in the Democrat’s 2007-2009 budget.

To learn more about Senator Kanavas’ April tax awareness campaign, Senator Kanavas’ initiatives and the 33rd Senate District please visit his website at: http://www.legis.state.wi.us/senate/sen33/news

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