Democrats see problems for Governor Walker in the latest state revenue estimates. Revenues are off by $281 million for 2014, according to tax collection numbers released by the state Department of Revenue.
Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca said things would look different, had Governor Scott Walker invested in job training.
“There’s about 40,000 jobs that are being advertised in Wisconsin that could have been filled immediately if we had just had the aggressive job training programs to put those people to work, and that would have generated tax revenues,” Barca said.
The numbers indicate that the current two-year budget is still in the black. But the projections show a 2014-2015 budget with a shortfall of $115 million dollars.
Representative Cory Mason, a Racine Democrat on the Joint Finance Committee, said there are no guarantees that matters will improve.
“If the employment situation is not looking good and the budget situation is not looking good, I think it’s important that the governor take those issues head on and tell us what he’s going to do differently as opposed to telling us that it’s working,” said Mason.
Republicans in the legislature put a different spin on the projections.
“The latest revenue projections show the state budget is balanced and continues to have a surplus,” said a statement from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. “Consumer confidence is on the rise as seen by the increase in sales tax revenues. It’s clear that returning taxpayer dollars to the rightful owners can help grow the economy.”