MADISON (AP) - A newly released video shows Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch asking business leaders for ideas on tax cuts, saying, "We want to know how we can love you more."
The Wisconsin State Journal obtained video of the closed Dec. 9 meeting in Beloit through an open-records request. The meeting, which was hosted by Kleefisch and state Revenue Department Secretary Rick Chandler, was closed to the public until it was nearly over.
About 30 executives, accountants and other business leaders attended the session. They argued for lower taxes and more financial incentives for commercial interests.
The round table was the first in a series of discussions touted by Gov. Scott Walker as a way to get input from taxpayers "on the real impact of Wisconsin taxes in consideration of future tax reform." But the Beloit meeting was private and dominated by business interests, and a Beloit Daily News reporter who tried to attend wasn't allowed inside until the final segment.
Kleefisch said the meeting was planned as an invitation-only affair so participants could speak freely. After that decision sparked controversy, Kleefisch invited reporters to two later meetings in Eau Claire and Superior, and she said future sessions will be open.
The video showed executives arguing that the state should do more to attract new businesses and help existing companies. They called on the Walker administration to loosen restrictions on tax credits, simplify the tax code and cut commercial property taxes.
They also wanted lower income and property taxes, higher sales tax and an increase in the number of business loans that wouldn't need to be paid back in certain circumstances.
Kleefisch pushed back on some of the suggestions.
For example, Kory Stoehr, a partner at the McGladrey LLP accounting firm, said that other states offer his clients millions of dollars in tax incentives, as well as "luxurious" perks such as helicopter rides.
Kleefisch replied that Wisconsin taxpayers don't want to see state officials wining and dining prospective developers. She said the administration is passionate about being accountable to taxpayers.
The Wisconsin State Journal obtained video of the closed Dec. 9 meeting in Beloit through an open-records request. The meeting, which was hosted by Kleefisch and state Revenue Department Secretary Rick Chandler, was closed to the public until it was nearly over.
About 30 executives, accountants and other business leaders attended the session. They argued for lower taxes and more financial incentives for commercial interests.
The round table was the first in a series of discussions touted by Gov. Scott Walker as a way to get input from taxpayers "on the real impact of Wisconsin taxes in consideration of future tax reform." But the Beloit meeting was private and dominated by business interests, and a Beloit Daily News reporter who tried to attend wasn't allowed inside until the final segment.
Kleefisch said the meeting was planned as an invitation-only affair so participants could speak freely. After that decision sparked controversy, Kleefisch invited reporters to two later meetings in Eau Claire and Superior, and she said future sessions will be open.
The video showed executives arguing that the state should do more to attract new businesses and help existing companies. They called on the Walker administration to loosen restrictions on tax credits, simplify the tax code and cut commercial property taxes.
They also wanted lower income and property taxes, higher sales tax and an increase in the number of business loans that wouldn't need to be paid back in certain circumstances.
Kleefisch pushed back on some of the suggestions.
For example, Kory Stoehr, a partner at the McGladrey LLP accounting firm, said that other states offer his clients millions of dollars in tax incentives, as well as "luxurious" perks such as helicopter rides.
Kleefisch replied that Wisconsin taxpayers don't want to see state officials wining and dining prospective developers. She said the administration is passionate about being accountable to taxpayers.