2/1/05

MADISON -- The Americans for Prosperity Foundation today said a new poll showing overwhelming support for a Taxpayer's Bill of Rights amendment in Wisconsin is a sign that the voice of the people should be heeded by legislators in Madison.

The poll, conducted by the respected firm Public Opinion Strategies and commissioned by the AFP Foundation and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC), found that 68 percent of Wisconsin voters support the constitutional spending limit amendment, and only 24 percent oppose it.

"That's a landslide in support of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights amendment among Wisconsin's voters. The people have spoken clearly once again, and we're happy to take their message to the legislature with our grassroots activists," said AFP Foundation regional field director Phil McGoohan.

A Taxpayer's Bill of Rights is a state constitutional amendment that would limit the annual growth in government. Under a Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, state expenditures and debt could not grow faster than the rate of annual population growth plus inflation. Surplus revenue received above this amount would accrue in a budget stabilization fund and a portion would be returned to taxpayers. Tax increases or spending above the amount of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights limit would require voter approval.

The new poll also finds that high taxes are the top concern among the state's voters, with nearly a third (30 percent) of voters citing that as the worst problem. The state's economy ranked a close second, at 21 percent.

The Americans for Prosperity Foundation released a study last fall that shows how a Taxpayer's Bill of Rights amendment would improve Wisconsin's economy, and would have provided more than $8 billion in tax relief to Wisconsinites and set aside $2 billion in a rainy day fund had it been enacted in 1989.

The Americans for Prosperity Foundation and WMC poll last week surveyed 500 Wisconsin voters regarding tax issues in the state. The poll has a +/- 4.38 percent margin of error.