Projections by the Wisconsin Department of Administration show the state is expected to finish the two-year budget cycle with a surplus. For the first time in a decade, the state will have enough of a surplus to transfer money into the rainy day fund in consecutive years. The Department of Administration said it expects the state’s revenue forecast to improve by more than $265 million.
The following statements from experts at The Heartland Institute – a free-market think tank – may be used for attribution. For more comments, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Tammy Nash at [email protected] and 312/377-4000. After regular business hours, contact Jim Lakely at [email protected] and 312/731-9364.
“Wisconsin under Gov. Walker has been controlling spending and taxes, and the state has gone from a budget deficit of more than $3 billion to an expected budget surplus. This is great news for Wisconsin’s taxpaying businesses and individuals, and a great lesson to other states, including neighboring Illinois, that continue to raise spending and taxes while digging themselves into even deeper budget holes.”
Steve Stanek
Research Fellow, Budget and Tax Policy
The Heartland Institute
Managing Editor
Budget & Tax News
[email protected]
815/385-5602
“School budgets in Wisconsin are balanced, property taxes are down slightly, and now the state budget has a surplus and savings to put in a ‘rainy day’ fund for the first time in a decade. So what exactly is the reason for recalling Scott Walker and spending $16 million for this special election? Oh, wait, I forgot. There isn’t a reason, and under the Wisconsin constitution, there doesn’t have to be one.
“Under state law, local officials can be recalled only if the recall petitions specify a reason related to the ‘official responsibilities’ of the official involved. The state constitution establishes the right to recall state officials, however, and no reason at all needs to be stated, let alone one related to Walker’s ‘official responsibilities.’ The constitution ought to be amended.”
Maureen Martin
Senior Fellow for Legal Affairs
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
920/ 295-6032
Ms. Martin is a resident of Wisconsin.
The Heartland Institute is a 28-year-old national nonprofit organization with offices in Chicago, Illinois and Washington, DC. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.
Maureen Martin, a former legal fellow at The Heartland Institute, passed away on February 5, 2013.
