MADISON, Wis. — Following Gov. Tony Evers’ plan to direct taxpayer dollars back to Wisconsin families now, Rebecca Kleefisch came out against the tax credits, saying she was “disappointed” in the plan. Thanks to Gov. Evers’ leadership, Wisconsin has a projected record-breaking $3.8 billion budget surplus — and Wisconsinites have still received a 15% tax break.

While Gov. Evers has proposed giving a portion of the surplus back to Wisconsinites now, Republican leaders have indicated they’re going to wait over a year to return taxpayers’ money — essentially holding it hostage until someone from their political party is in power.

Here’s what’s in the plan Kleefisch calls a “non-starter”:

• $150 tax rebate for every Wisconsin tax filer and each of their dependents
• Expand the Child and Dependent Care Credit, giving an average of $274 back to more than 100,000 Wisconsinites
• Create a new $100 million Caregiver Tax Credit, benefiting approximately 370,000 tax filers
• Nearly $750 million to improve education quality while keeping property taxes down

Kleefisch couldn’t explain why she’s opposing this common-sense plan to return money to working families. Kleefisch supported a tax rebate in 2018, when Wisconsin’s finances and economy were in a much weaker position. At the end of the 2018 fiscal year, Wisconsin’s budget surplus was only $588 million and the state’s rainy day fund only had enough to keep state government running for nearly seven days. Thanks to Gov. Evers’ leadership, Wisconsin now has a rainy day fund that’s five times larger, the lowest unemployment rate in state history, and a record budget surplus.

Today, Wisconsin families are also facing rising costs, and with this unprecedented budget surplus, we have an opportunity to return this money back where it belongs, in the pockets of Wisconsinites.

”It doesn’t matter what the issue is, if it doesn’t help Rebecca Kleefisch’s political campaign, she won’t support it — even if it means returning taxpayer dollars to working families,” said Democratic Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Iris Riis. “While Wisconsin’s economy is miles ahead of the rest of the nation, families are still struggling with rising costs — that’s why it’s so important to direct the unexpected surplus money to taxpayers right now. Governor Tony Evers knows that the right thing to do is to invest this budget surplus back into the economy and directly into Wisconsinites’ pockets.”