New "TABOR" looks like the old TABOR

[sybylla]

From the Journal Sentinel Article http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/jan06/387483.asp

Revenue controls are latest attempt to curb taxes
Legislators say plan is easier way to limit spending
By STEVEN WALTERS
[email protected]
Posted: Jan. 24, 2006

Madison - Discarding plans for rigid spending limits that swept the Capitol only 18 months ago, Republican legislators are drafting a proposed constitutional amendment that instead would impose revenue controls on state and local governments, lawmakers said Tuesday.

-snip-

Still, Grothman and Wood said they had agreed that their proposed constitutional amendment would:

• Impose a revenue limit on state government, counties and technical colleges equal to the combination of inflation, as measured by a three-year average of changes in the Consumer Price Index, and population growth.

• Impose a revenue limit on Wisconsin's 426 school districts equal to increases in enrollment and the three-year change in inflation. School districts that are losing students would have their revenue limits determined by inflation only. (This is close to the caps schools currently face and we are witnessing consolidation talks across the state because of it)

• Impose a revenue limit equal to the three-year change in inflation and 60% of the value of new local construction on most villages, cities and towns. But towns whose revenues are less than $1 million a year would be exempt from revenue limits.

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Sounds like the same old TABOR to me. As the price of certain commodities like fuel are not part of inflation calculations, this is just another way to starve the local governments while pretending to do something about skyrocketing property taxes.

[Viking12]

1. Grothman was selling his snake-oil on WPR yesterday

Wednesday, January 25, 2006 at 4:00 PM
After four, Ben Merens talks first with a Wisconsin legislator who proposes a constitutional amendment that would enforce revenue controls on state and local governments, then with a critic of the plan. Guests: 4:00 – Senator Glenn Grothman, 20th Senate District, Republican.
http://www.wpr.org/merens/index.cfm?strDirection=Prev&dteShowDate=2006%2D01%2D25%2017%3A00%3A00

Grothman's main reason we need TABOR? If you listen closely, he repeats the mantra "legislators can't get re-elected if they do the right thing." Basically, he's saying that it's more important for him to get re-elected than stick to his principles. He argues that with TABOR, he could stick to his cut, cut, cut philosophy and still get re-elected.