Two out of three companies not paying state income taxes

We hear how the state is in dire financial straits. We also hear the complaints from taxpayers all over the state about the taxes we pay. And yet, according to state tax records unveiled yesterday, two of every three companies that filed Wisconsin tax returns in 2003 paid no state corporate income tax. The companies included such state corporations as Johnson Controls, Kohl's, Harley-Davidson, and such well-known national giants as Kraft Foods and PepsiCo, according to data from the Institute for Wisconsin's Future.

It is unconscionable that corporations will continue to find ways to skirt around paying their fair share. It is equally unconscionable that a business lobbyist organization like Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce says it will oppose any additional disclosure of business tax information. You can read more specific tax information and statistics here , as well as find out why WMC is taking the position it is taking.

For the record, companies like Briggs & Stratton and our own Oshkosh Truck were among the companies the institute says did pay corporate income taxes.