WMC on the Wrong Side, As Usual

Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (the Chamber of Commerce) is now running ads which are very deceptive (imagine that!!) concerning 'property taxes' and how Republicans are going to raise same on the poor little mom & pop merchants and therefore jack up the cost of everything so you can no longer buy a can of beans and you will die.

What a crock of crap.

Here's the (very simplified) issue.  National big-box stores (not mom, pop, and the kiddies) do not want to pay adequate property taxes on stores they vacate.  They claim that since the store is not operating, it is not producing revenue, and therefore it is "over-valued" by local assessors because assessors value the property based on its revenues as part of the formula.

Umnnnhhh......

When you sell your house and it is un-occupied for 2-3 months before the buyers move in, do property taxes cease?  Hell, no! 

"Well!  It's not used for anything, right?  How can it be taxed??" you say.

Glad you asked!!!  You know why those taxes do not cease?  Because the building (and land) still requires a certain amount of services.  It still takes up space which COULD be otherwise useful, and fully taxed.

As to your eventual starvation because of "higher prices", yadayadaydada......Crock of Crap #2!

When BigBox underpays its property tax, YOU make up the difference in YOUR property taxes.   (Unless the city reduces its spending, of course.  Hah!!  Just joking)  So would you rather starve to death because BigBox is stealing from you, or because BigBox charges you more for crap you don't really have to have (72" TV, anyone?)

The Chamber of Commerce has overplayed its "You Will STARVE!!!!" tagline again and again.  They've used that crapola to justify illegal immigration (or a 'legal' slave-labor/temporary-worker) because if they have to pay actual market rates for labor, grapes will cost $50.00/lb., or something.

Of course, if you are unemployed due to illegal/slave-labor, you don't care what grapes will cost because YOU CAN'T BUY THEM ANYWAY.

This crap is the same crap they've used for importing cheap China-made stuff (like cars!) and exporting good jobs to Mexico, China, and Korea.

Call your legislator and tell them To Hell With WMC.  Shove it right back into their face for a change.