KRONENWETTER, WI (WSAU) — Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Rebecca Kleefisch spent about an hour on Thursday talking with voters at the GOP headquarters in Marathon County where she went into detail regarding her plans for the state’s anticipated budget surplus.
The former Lieutenant Governor says if elected she’d like to put the state on the path to eliminating its income tax, beginning with a flat tax rate of 3.54%. “If you’re paying 7.65% income tax [to the state,] not anymore. [When I’m Governor] that gets greatly reduced.”
She says the relief would come at just the right time, allowing families to fight inflation “from their own household budget.”
The plan would also include the elimination of the state income tax on retirement income and the elimination of the personal property tax, which she calls a “$200 million tax on small businesses.”
She adds that because of the state budget surplus no cuts would be made to balance the budget.
The state’s projected $3.8 billion budget surplus was a point of contention between Democratic Governor Tony Evers and state lawmakers this spring. Evers proposed sending $150 rebate checks to taxpayers along with using some of the money for education and an income tax credit for caregivers. Republicans rejected the plan, calling it an election-year gimmick and gaveling in and out of a special session on the matter without discussion.
During Thursday’s Q-and-A session Kleefisch was also asked if she had a preference among the eight candidates running for Lieutenant Governor. She did not endorse one candidate, only telling those in attendance to pick her a good one.
The ballot for that race includes State Senator Patrick Testin of Stevens Point, State Senator Roger Roth of Appleton, and former Gubernatorial Candidate Jonathan Wichmann.
