Brian Dake

Telemarketing complaints are on the rise (4,860 complaints) and continue to top the annual list of consumer complaints collected by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). More than two out of every five complaints received by the agency in 2018 were in regard to calls from unknown numbers, unwanted sales calls or scam
calls. 

Landlord/Tenant complaints held steady at the second spot with 1,188 complaints. Complaint allegations were primarily in regard to security deposit-related issues, with tenants claiming that inappropriate amounts were withheld or that a landlord failed to return deposit funds at the
end of a tenancy. Evictions and unauthorized entry were additional issues cited in many complaints.

Telecommunications remains in the number three spot in the Top Ten list with 681 complaints. Complaints were lodged against a wide spectrum of service providers, with customers making allegations about billing disputes, misleading representations, unauthorized charges and performance issues.

Home Improvement moved up one spot to number four in the list with 489 complaints. Home improvement complaints include a wide range of allegations, with consumers alleging that contractors failed to provide the services promised under a contract, charged for services or repairs that were not performed, failed to honor warranties or provided unsatisfactory workmanship.

In only its second year as a formal complaint category, Medical Services jumped two spots to number five with 255 complaints – an increase of more than 30%. These complaints cover services related to clinics, hospitals and professional services in the medical field and were overwhelmingly about billing disputes, misrepresentations and unauthorized charges. 

Rounding out the top ten for 2018:

6.) Identity Theft (250 complaints)
7.) Motor Vehicle Repair (196)
8.) Gas Pumps (169)
9.) Motor Vehicle Sales (155)
10.) Fuel Quality (119)

In all, DATCP received 11,303 complaints to the Bureau of Consumer Protection. The agency returned more than $4.6 million in funds to Wisconsin – the majority of which were returned to consumers in the form of mediated refunds, negotiated settlements or court-ordered restitutions.

Yesterday, Governor Tony Evers announced that his budget will include a responsible tax relief plan that will cut taxes for hard-working Wisconsin families by 10 percent, expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, and end a costly tax giveaway to millionaires—without adding to the deficit.

Under the Evers plan, middle-class families with a Wisconsin adjusted gross income below $80,000 for single filers and $125,000 for married-joint filers will receive a new nonrefundable credit equal to 10% of the remaining tax liability after all other credits (besides the credit for taxes paid to other states).

“I promised Wisconsin’s hard-working families that I would not only provide the tax relief they deserve, but that I would provide tax relief in a responsible and sustainable way,” said Gov. Evers. “This is what the people voted for and it’s what we know they support. I’m calling on Republicans to work with me and with Democrats in the Legislature to put people first and cut taxes for Wisconsin’s hardworking families without increasing Wisconsin’s budget deficit.”

The Evers plan will also expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for families with one or two children. Beginning with tax year 2019, the credit rate as a percentage of the federal credit for families with one child will nearly triple, from 4 percent to 11 percent, and the rate for families with two children will increase from 11 percent to 14 percent. Increasing the credit for those categories brings Wisconsin closer to parity with the median EITC provided by other states.

In addition, the Evers plan will rollback a Republican giveaway to some of Wisconsin’s highest earners by capping the Manufacturing and Agriculture Credit (MAC) for manufacturing claimants. Agricultural firms would continue to have the credit as it exists under current law.

After a week of headlines suggesting Foxconn was abandoning or at least reevaluating plans for a LCD display fabrication facility in Mount Pleasant, the company now says it will move ahead with a Gen 6 fab at the complex.

The company is moving ahead with the projects it said it would build in the next 18 months. Those facilities include assembly, packaging and molding operations. Building those facilities first would allow the company to ship components to Mount Pleasant for assembly while the fabrication facility, which would actually make the screens, is built.

Getting operations up and running would help the company increase its employment in the state, allowing it to potentially earn payroll tax credits. The company needs at least 1,820 employees in 2020 to earn any tax credits for job creation.

The Gen 6 plant, however, is still a departure from Foxconn’s original plans. When the project was first announced, the company said it would build a Gen 10.5 plant to make the largest screens in the world. The larger screen market, however, has been plagued by oversupply in recent years.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and the GOP-controlled state Legislature will have about $1.8 billion in new state tax revenue as they craft the next budget, according to a report released Wednesday by the Legislature’s nonpartisan budget office.

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau on Wednesday released estimates of revenues and expenses for the state over the next three years.

In addition to new revenue projections, the numbers also show the state is projected to end the current budget on June 30 with nearly $700 million in the bank.

The estimates come as the Democratic governor and conservative majority at the State Capitol begin the early stages of budget negotiations.

“(Evers) has inherited one of the best budget scenarios in a generation,” Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, tweeted after the report. Nygren is the co-chair of the state budget committee. “The state is in a strong fiscal condition and there is no need to raise taxes.”

The governor’s office rejected Republicans’ assessment.

“The people of Wisconsin deserve an honest conversation about the challenges facing our state,” said Evers’ spokeswoman Melissa Baldauff. “Gov. Evers has inherited a budget from Republicans defined by eight years of failing to fully fund our public schools, ignoring our criminal justice system crisis, tax policies that prioritize millionaires instead of working Wisconsin families, no long-term solution on transportation, and attempts to gut healthcare protections for millions of Wisconsinites.”

Wisconsin’s tax season, like the federal tax season, officially begins today. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) expects filing activity will be brisk, particularly the first few weeks and the last few weeks of the season.

This year’s individual income tax filing deadline is Monday, April 15. DOR would like to remind taxpayers not to file until they have all their tax documents. Having to file an amended return later will significantly delay a refund.

People may use the free, fast and accurate Wisconsin E-file online tool to file their state income taxes, or they may choose to use third-party software from an approved vendor. Like other online tools, Wisconsin E-file does the required math to prevent errors and allows direct deposit or withdrawal from a bank account.

“Providing excellent customer service is very important to us,” notes Secretary Barca. “We encourage taxpayers with questions to submit them online or call DOR’s individual customer service line at 608.266.2486.”

Taxpayers will find a number of helpful resources available on DOR’s website at www.revenue.wi.gov including:

 a list of free tax help sites across Wisconsin and more information about them

 an online application that will check the status of your refund

 a mobile app available free of charge from the Apple or Android app stores

 DOR’s video center with information on e-filing, free tax help and tax credits

As in previous years, DOR cannot issue refunds until March 1, if it cannot verify wage and withholding information from employers.

The U.S. Postal Service has raised prices on stamps and services.

• Price to mail 1st-class letter goes up to 55 cents
• It’s largest percentage increase since 1991
• US Postal Service reported net loss of $3.9B in 2018

Starting Sunday, the price to mail a first-class letter went up from 50 to 55 cents.

The cost of a “forever” stamp also increased to 55 cents.

The nickel increase is the largest percentage price hike since 1991, when the cost of a stamp rose from 25 to 29 cents.

Priority mail prices also jumped 5.9 percent, increasing the cost to mail a small box from $7.20 to $7.90.

The Postal Service reported a net loss of $3.9 billion in 2018, blaming lower mail volume and pension and health care costs.

It last increased stamp prices a year ago in January 2018, when the cost rose a penny to 50 cents.

The percentage of Americans without health insurance has reached its highest point since 2014, when ObamaCare was still in its early years of implementation.

The uninsured rate was 13.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018, well above the record-low rate of 10.9 seen in 2016, the last year of President Obama’s second term, according to a survey released by Gallup Wednesday.

That represents about 7 million people losing or dropping insurance between 2016 and 2018, Gallup said.

Before the implementation of the health care law, the uninsured rate was 18 percent. It steadily dropped since 2014, before hitting an all-time low in 2016.

The largest coverage losses in recent years have been among women, young adults and those with low incomes, according to the survey.

Those younger than 35 reported an uninsured rate of more than 21 percent, a 5 percent increase from 2016.  The rate of uninsured women increased from 8.9 percent in late 2016 to 12.8 percent in 2018.