Supervisor Sebring Opposes Rideshare Tax
"The proposed Uber/Lyft rideshare tax is nothing more than a thinly veiled fascist attempt to penalize tax paying citizens for not riding the bus."
MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee County Supervisor Dan Sebring released the following statement regarding a proposed tax on ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft that operate in Milwaukee County.
“The proposed Uber/Lyft rideshare tax is nothing more than a thinly veiled fascist attempt to penalize tax paying citizens for not riding the bus. The fact of the matter is that Milwaukee County has no legal obligation or mandate to provide public transportation which the proposed Uber/Lyft rideshare tax is purported to fund should the tax be implemented,” said Supervisor Sebring.
“Once again my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors have revealed their belief that taxpaying citizens are nothing more than cash machines to spit out unlimited monies on demand for whatever unnecessary purpose they see fit without consequence. If my colleagues on the Board want more people to ride the bus they should build a better, safer Milwaukee County Transit System that people will want to use, not be forced to use because they’re being taxed out of making their own choices…and they should do it within the financial constraints currently before them,” Sebring concluded.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Recent Press Releases by Sup. Dan Sebring
Supervisor Sebring Opposes Rideshare Tax
Nov 18th, 2019 by Sup. Dan Sebring"The proposed Uber/Lyft rideshare tax is nothing more than a thinly veiled fascist attempt to penalize tax paying citizens for not riding the bus."
Supervisors Endorse Studying Transit Security Police on MCTS Buses
Feb 7th, 2019 by Sup. Dan Sebring"Milwaukee County has a responsibility to provide a safe and secure environment for our drivers and passengers."
Rep. Sensenbrenner calls this sort of thing “social engineering” and now Supervisor Sebring calls a tax on Uber and Lyft “fascist”!! Supervisor Wasserman is fearful of windmills on Lake Michigan. How can we help Milwaukee understand we need to do so many things differently? For now: Well, I ride the bus or bike – and I or you or anyone can do both together!! I do that for my health and the health of my community. I support mass transit for a multitude of reasons. It’s more resilient, less polluting and gets more people to where they need to go- like to the grocery, or doctor that is not in their neighborhood but across town; or to their job which might take two to three bus rides and a walk on both ends. I think government has a responsibility to all its citizens not just those who have the means to do the convenient thing. That’s called equity and justice, not social engineering and fascism. So I support what incentivizes mass transit and dis-incentivizes the automobile. We need to do the right thing.
Now, there are some problems with Uber and Lyft, …and scooters. First, they are extractive industries: local businesses keep the money here. They also don’t leave much of the fare for the driver (not the scooters). Uber and Lyft pollute more (again, not the scooters) – all that driving around. They crowd the streets, and bring more auto traffic to downtown rather than less. And people are using the bus lines less ( yes, the scooters cause this too.)
Maybe you heard about the IPCC and the NCA call for less pollution from automobiles? Supporting mass transit is needed for our future, for my grandchildren’s future. There are less than 12 years left. There are voices that say we need to act as if our house is on fire – because it is. Pope Francis has called this “Our Common Home”. Please read his “Laudato Si”. That might get us started on the new path we need.
The future is now. I hope you will read up on some of the ways we can make a better future by making some challenging but wise decisions now. Convenience needs to take a bow to cooperation and working together. (That’s from Charles Eisenstein.)