MADISON, WI (WTAQ) – Wisconsin conservatives are raising their eyebrows as Governor Tony Evers signed most of a Republican-crafted budget into law on Thursday.
“Would the governor, who is up for re-election next year, actually sign such a massive tax cut?” Brett Healy of the MacIver Institute said on WTAQ’s ‘The Regular Joe Show.’
While there were a number of line-item vetoes, most of what the Republican-led legislature put into the budget made it past Evers’ desk. Healy couldn’t believe it.
“He said that he made a promise that he would provide middle class tax relief when he first ran for office, which was surprising to hear him bring that up, because his own budget did no such thing,” Healy said. “He is not a tax cutter! I can’t believe that we’re sitting here today, talking about the largest tax cut in state history. One that’s going to impact the vast majority of Wisconsinites all across the state…The only reason the governor is signing this tax cut, the only reason why he is not vetoing the entire budget as he threatened, is because of the political pressure.”
But even with the passage of a 10%, several-billion dollar tax cut on middle-class earners and other wins for the conservative legislature, Healy says it wasn’t all as perfect as it might seem. One of the vetoes included the elimination of the Personal Property Tax, which Healy says includes a local tax that businesses pay on their inventory and other possessions.
“Buyers beware, the governor is going to try and make it seem like he wanted to support this small business tax cut. But all you have to is look at these the two budgets that he put forward, they were not friendly to small businesses,” Healy said.
Overall, Healy says Evers is on his heels. He thinks the signing could be a major opportunity to make even bigger moves for the conservative side, like addressing issues including election and voting reform in the state.
“Now is the time for everyone to press forward on all these other reforms that need to get done,” Healy argued.
