The Governor of the State of Wisconsin has chosen to veto the budget property tax proposal which was presented to him and approved by the Republican-majorities in both houses of the Wisconsin legislature.
Governor Tony Evers sent a letter to the State Senate saying he would be vetoing all of Senate Bill 821, the latest-approved budget tax proposal in the Assembly and Senate.
“I am vetoing the bill because I object to its unbalanced and unsustainable approach to state fiscal policy,” said Evers.
Governor Evers took issue with the Republican leadership not approving two-thirds funding of public K-12 education with the projected surplus from the budget.
“Specifically, this bill would reduce the estimated budget stabilization fund balance by $123.8 million in fiscal year 2020-21 according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Moreover, this bill fails to acknowledge or address the continued, inordinate burden that has been placed on our public schools, local governments, and Wisconsin families. Since 2011, nearly one million Wisconsinites have voted to raise their own taxes to support local schools. In 2018 alone, voters approved more than $2 billion in debt and revenue increases for local schools. This is not sustainable,” he said.
“We do not have to choose between funding for our kids and our schools and providing property tax relief—we can and should do both. I am ready and willing to work across the aisle to find a compromise that will get to two-thirds funding while still providing tax relief and reducing our state debt.”
You can read the full letter here.
“I am incredibly disappointed that Governor Evers proved to once again be incapable of doing right by our taxpayers. It’s simple: the government took more money than needed from Wisconsinites, and now it’s our job to put that money back in their pockets,” said Senate Majority Leader Jim Steineke.
“Despite garnering the support of Democrat and Republican lawmakers alike, Governor Evers has again showed his true colors by abandoning this bipartisan tax cut in favor of appeasing his union bosses. I remain committed to lowering the tax burden and reducing debt for hard-working Wisconsinites – I hope that Governor Evers will eventually join me and my colleagues in this pursuit.”