MADISON – A new survey of Wisconsin employers revealed that businesses are looking for ways to lower their costs – especially important amid historically high inflation. When asked for the top thing state government could do to help employers, 25 percent said policymakers should work to reduce taxes. Another 22 percent called for more affordable health care and the third most popular response, at 20 percent, said government should reduce and reform regulations.
Specific to taxes, nearly 90 percent of business supported reducing and flattening the state individual income tax. Wisconsin businesses are also looking for more accountability and transparency in government. Nearly eight in 10 companies surveyed support requiring state agencies to receive specific authorization from elected officials before proposing new rules and regulations that could affect businesses.
Education reform was another public policy issue that Wisconsin employers are concerned with. An overwhelming majority, 80 percent of businesses surveyed, reported they would support a universal school choice program so any child in Wisconsin could attend the school of their choosing regardless of zip code or income.
The Wisconsin Employer Survey is conducted twice a year by WMC. The assessment provides a snapshot of where Wisconsin’s employers stand on a number of important issues and outlines their economic outlook for both Wisconsin and the United States. For the Summer 2022 edition, WMC surveyed 216 employers that make up a representative sample of its membership. Businesses of all sizes, industries and geographic locations in Wisconsin participated.
The survey was released in three separate reports on topics including: the economy; workforce; and public policy.
Click here to download the entire Wisconsin Employer Survey – Summer 2022 report on public policy.
