White Men Crying
Sen. Decker, D-Weston, said the GOP motion creates a $160 million GPR hole in the budget, and expressed dismay that business groups are balking at the idea of trying to recover revenue from "big oil."
Decker singled out the state's largest business lobby. "Instead of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, they should change their name to White Men Crying," said Decker.
Rep. Dan Meyer, R-Eagle River, said he doesn't like paying $3.49 per gallon, but only the naive would believe that oil companies won't pass on the cost of the assessment, ballooning gas prices further.
"The only people in this room who actually believe that's going to happen are the eight Democrats sitting at this table," he said. "The people in our districts are going to pay the price. It's not big oil."
Sen. Luther Olsen, R-Ripon, brought up the constitutional concerns with the tax, saying former AG Peg Lautenschlager said the tax could be unconstitutional, and that the state may have to pay back the revenues, plus interest.
He warned that if the fee is passed as part of the budget, the state will be in court before the ink is dry on the governor's signature.
"We'll spend the money on projects, and then when we have to pay it back ... we dig ourselves in a serious, serious hole," he said.
Labels: Oil_Franchise_Fee, Transportation
