Dailytakes

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Governor Sticks Taxpayers with extra $87 Million Bill

Governor’s vetoes eliminate levy limits on technical colleges and increase levy limits on municipalities

 

[Madison, Wis…]Despite his empty rhetoric about controlling property taxes, Governor Doyle’s veto of the levy limit for Wisconsin Technical Colleges and his increase of the municipal levy limit through a veto will almost certainly lead to higher property taxes, Senate Republican Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said today.  The non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates the effect of the Governor’s vetoes will be $87 million in higher property taxes.

 

“Just like his other broken promises not to raise taxes, Governor Doyle has again allowed for even higher property tax increases through his veto of the technical college and municipal levy limits,” Fitzgerald said.  “The taxpayers of Wisconsin have been demanding action on their outrageously high property tax bills.  With today’s veto, Governor Doyle has once again turned a deaf ear to their concerns and stuck them with an extra $87 million bill.”

 

Particularly troubling is the Governor’s veto of the four percent levy limit for Wisconsin technical colleges.  The Technical College System Board and the individual district boards are appointed rather than elected and lack direct accountability to Wisconsin’s taxpayers.  Because of this, technical colleges represent the fastest growing portion of the property tax bill, increasing by more than 85% in the last ten years to over $650 million.

 

“A reasonable levy limit of four percent, more than the rate of inflation, is necessary to ensure that our technical colleges are affordable for both students and taxpayers,” Fitzgerald said.  “Governor Doyle is rejecting this reasonable limit in favor of millions of dollars in extra property tax increases at the expense of our already overburdened taxpayers.”