Governor Tony Evers has made an election year tax cut pitch, one that was quickly rejected by Republican leaders in the Wisconsin legislature.
With latest Marquette poll seeming to show the Democratic governor in a tight reelection race with millionaire business executive Tim Michels, Evers on Tuesday announced a plan to provide $600 million in tax relief to working Wisconsinites. Evers would tap part of the state’s projected projected $4-billion budget surplus to cover the costs.
“We can do this because our economy is strong, and people have suffered,” Evers said during a Milwaukee press conference. “We’re still fighting issues of run of inflation. And so I’m hopeful the legislature will see the wisdom in this.”
In a joint statement, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos responded to Evers’ plan.
LeMahieu said if the governor is serious about providing financial relief to Wisconsinites he could do so immediately using federal ARPA dollars, rather than using a taxpayer surplus to create what LeMahieu called “a political division.” Vos said if the projected surplus materializes, Republicans will cut taxes for everyone, not pick winners and losers, like Evers does with this plan.