State Budget Heads to Governor Evers' Desk

Friday, June 30th, 2023 -- 11:00 AM

(By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio) Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate voted Wednesday night to pass their version of the next state budget, one that would devote a large share of Wisconsin's historic surplus to income tax cuts, including for the wealthy.

According to Shawn Johnson with the Wisconsin Public Radio, the measure passed on a 20-13 vote, with two Republicans joining all Democrats in voting against it. The Assembly passed the bill Thursday, which sends it to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' desk.

While there are some similarities between the budget Republicans passed and the version Evers introduced in February, the two plans would not easily be mistaken for one another. Evers, who framed the debate as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make investments in Wisconsin, proposed spending more than $1 billion combined on expanding broadband, funding a pandemic-era child care subsidy and creating a new paid family leave program.

Republicans deleted all three proposals, zeroing them out. Hundreds of other initiatives proposed by Evers were rejected by Republicans on Day One of their budget process, including an expansion of Medicaid and the legalization of cannabis.

Republicans also rejected the tax cut proposed by Evers in his budget, one focused on people who earn up to $100,000 and couples who earn up to $150,000. In its place, the GOP budget would cut taxes across all income brackets, including for the state's wealthiest residents.

Under a progressive income tax, those who earn more pay more in taxes on their additional earnings. Under a flat tax, everyone pays the same rate, which results in a larger tax cut for wealthier residents. Democrats described the GOP budget in markedly different terms, telling Republicans they had squandered the opportunity to fund programs voters support.

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