MADISON- “Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s bill to reduce collective bargaining privileges for many government employees recently passed in the House and is a bold step in the right direction as it would provide much-needed property tax relief for the oppressed taxpayers of Wisconsin,” said Jim Tobin, President of Taxpayers United of America (TUA), at a press conference at the State Capitol Monday.
TUA President Jim Tobin Speaks to the Press Outside the State Capitol in Madison, WI, Monday, February 28, 2011.
“In 2009, according to a new study released by the Tax Foundation, Wisconsin’s State-Local tax burden rose to 11.0 %, and Wisconsin went from the sixth to the fourth-highest state in the nation,” said Tobin. “Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has taken a courageous stand by working to break the stranglehold the government-employee unions have on the state treasury and local taxpayers: up to 80% of taxes can go to fund salaries, pensions, and benefits of government employees.”
Christina Tobin, President of The Free and Equal Elections Foundation and Vice-President of TUA said the best way to rectify this problem is to elect fiscally responsible political leaders. “Unfortunately, most politicians and union bosses think the money they spend is their own. Losing 6,000 jobs as an alternative to limiting collective bargaining hurts the people.
“The voice of the people is being muted by the public unions and the corporate interests that have a stranglehold on our electoral system. It’s high time that ‘we the people’ take back what is rightfully ours. Governor Walker has stepped up to the plate. It’s time for Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to get off the bench and do the same.”
Click here to watch the video of the press conference.
Click here to view this news release as a PDF.
