I think the time has come to set forth some suggestions as to basic principals the Commission should recommend with some illustrations of carrying them out. We have to keep in mind the problem which has caused the creation of the Commission. Wisconsin is a high-tax state on the basis of national rankings. The amount that the state government sends back to all local governments is significantly higher than the national average. Despite this amount being sent back, property taxes are high compared to the national average.
Local governments rely less on fees and sales taxes than is the case in other states.
I would submit that grants from the State to local governments are inherently undesirable and should be minimized to the maximum extent feasible within the fiscal needs of the various types of governments . Similarly, there are more demands for government services and they are counter balanced by the necessity of raising taxes to satisfy them. Grants from one government to another disturb this balance. The response is an attempt to control such spending by the state governments. The state government, by providing unfunded mandates, causes spending that it does not have to pay for and thus will have a tendency to overspend.