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Report | WISPIRG Foundation | Transportation

A New Direction

The Driving Boom—a six decade-long period of steady increases in per-capita driving in the United States—is over.  Americans drive fewer total miles today than we did eight years ago, and fewer per person than we did at the end of Bill Clinton’s first term. The unique combina­tion of conditions that fueled the Driving Boom—from cheap gas prices to the rapid expansion of the workforce during the Baby Boom generation—no longer exists. Meanwhile, a new generation—the Mil­lennials—is demanding a new American Dream less dependent on driving.  Transportation policy in the United States, however, remains stuck in the past.
 
 

Report | WISPIRG | Consumer Protection

The Rent-to-Own Rip-off

The 2013-2015 biennial executive budget, proposed by Governor Walker, includes an exemption for the rent-to-own industry from Wisconsin’s consumer protection laws. Rent-to-own businesses are appliance and furniture retailers that arrange “lease agreements,” rather than typical installment or credit sales contracts. These leases are regulated as a form of credit because the consumer is buying a product over time and paying a very high premium over the product’s sale price. As such, rent-to-own businesses in Wisconsin currently are regulated under the Wisconsin Consumer Act, providing strong protections for consumers from a predatory industry. The rent-to-own industry has effectively dismantled similar strong consumer protections that apply to these installment contracts in most states and replaced them with industry-friendly laws. In order to highlight why the rent-to-own industry should not be exempted from Wisconsin’s consumer protection laws, WISPIRG staff conducted a survey of five rent-to-own (RTO) stores in the Rockford, IL area in March 2013. We compared the cost of rent-to-own to the cost of buying the same or similar goods at major appliance and electronics retailers.
 

Report | WISPIRG | Transportation

The 10% Solution

Wisconsin taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be wasted on unnecessary and costly highway expenditures, when local transportation infrastructure is crumbling.  Unfortunately, the transportation budget being considered by state leaders increases spending on highways while neglecting local needs.  It’s time to get our transportation priorities straight and invest taxpayer dollars wisely, maintaining a modern highway system while meeting local road repair and transit needs. The 10% Solution offers a budget alternative that achieves these goals.
 

Report | WISPIRG | Tax

Picking Up the Tab 2013

Many multinational corporations and wealthy Americans use accounting tricks and offshore tax havens to avoid paying taxes on profits and income that they earned in the U.S. Right now these practices are perfectly legal - and that's the problem. Revenues that are earned from sales and work here in the United States are hidden overseas and it costs the U.S. up to $150 billion in lost tax revenue every single year.  When that burden is redistributed to individual taxpayers, through either increased taxes, cuts to public services, or growing national debt, it costs every Wisconsinite $773 per year. If the costs of corporate tax haven abuse were shifted to small businesses, it would cost every Wisconsin small business $2,746 per year.

Report | WISPIRG Foundation | Budget

Following the Money 2013

Wisconsin received an “F” for government spending transparency, according to “Following the Money 2013: How the States Rank on Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data,” the fourth annual report of its kind by the WISPIRG Foundation. 
 

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