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As I See It

Wisconsin should end birth tax

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We would prefer that everyone pay their fair share of taxes. But we also realize that isn’t always possible. For example, Wisconsin is among a small handful of states which still have a birth tax. This birth tax is charged to an unmarried couple who has a child while supported by Medicaid. Most states have abandoned the practice of collecting a birth tax saying it is not in the best interests of infants, parents or families. But Wisconsin has been aggressive in collecting this birth tax, recovering over $16 million a year. That is the most aggressive collection effort in the country. But critics point out that enforcing this tax is unfair, arguing that it disproportionately impacts minorities. The tax forces some mothers to forgo Medicaid enrollment and can negatively affect a father’s ability to pay child support. Most parents summoned to court over the failure to pay this birth tax often end up in court without legal representation. That means you and I have to pay for them to have a public defender. But the worst part of Wisconsin’s birth tax is that not a single penny of any birth tax money that is collected goes to support the children or their families. And part of it is a bounty that helps fund child support offices. Wisconsin should join the majority of states and abandon this birth tax, or at least makes sure the money collected actually goes to help families, not just the state’s bottom line.

Scott Robert Shaw serves as WIZM Program Director and News Director, and delivers the morning news on WKTY, Z-93 and 95.7 The Rock. Scott has been at Mid-West Family La Crosse since 1989, and authors Wisconsin's only daily radio editorial, "As I See It" heard on WIZM each weekday morning and afternoon.

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