MADISON – The Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) voted on Tuesday to remove 545 of Gov. Tony Evers’ budget proposals that would have increased taxes on individuals and businesses, limited educational options for students trapped in failing schools, made health care more expensive, and raised the costs to make and build things in Wisconsin.
“The proposals included in Gov. Evers’ budget would not only expand the size and scope of government significantly, they would have had a devastatingly harmful effect on our economy,” said WMC Executive Vice President of Government Relations Scott Manley. “It is clear that the members of JFC who voted to repeal these detrimental policies are putting the people of Wisconsin and our economy first.”
Included in Gov. Evers’ budget proposal were policies that would have:
• Raised taxes on manufacturers by $650 million through the essential repeal of the Manufacturing & Agriculture Tax Credit
• Limited worker freedoms by repealing Wisconsin’s Right to Work law
• Made public construction projects more expensive by reinstating the costly prevailing wage law
• Increased property taxes by instituting an automatic two-percent minimum levy limit increase
• Trapped more families in failing schools by capping enrollment in Wisconsin’s popular school choice program
• Increased private health insurance costs by using federal tax dollars to expand Medicaid
• Forced additional costs on workers and employers by creating a taxpayer-funded paid family leave program
On a party line vote, Republicans on JFC approved a measure to remove each of these from the budget, along with many other misguided policies.
“Today’s actions are a win for Wisconsin taxpayers,” added Manley. “WMC and our members applaud the actions from JFC today and look forward to working with members of the Legislature to craft a budget that protects our economy, improves education and provide much-needed tax relief to hard-working Wisconsinites.”
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