Wisconsin Bill Would Forgive Dead Soldiers' Taxes

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The parents of a Wisconsin soldier killed in Afghanistan are backing a bill that would forgive state income taxes for military members killed in combat.

Andrew Johnson's son David was killed last year while patrolling in the Kandahar Province. Johnson says he was shocked to learn later that while the federal government would forgive his son's income taxes, the state wouldn't.

Bipartisan legislation sponsored by state Rep. Mark Born and Sen. Scott Fitzgerald would exempt military income earned the year before a soldier is killed, along with that from the year in which the soldier dies. The measure is up for vote in both the Senate and the Assembly on Tuesday.

Nearly 6,700 U.S. soldiers have died in combat since 2001. About 150 were from Wisconsin.

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