Tony Evers says he is 'pretty close' to keeping taxes flat, despite increase of more than $1 billion

Patrick Marley

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (left) and State Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor shown during a tour of a Madison school in January.

MADISON - Gov. Tony Evers said Thursday the more than $1 billion in tax increases included in his state budget were "pretty close" to his campaign declaration that he wasn't planning to raise taxes.

"We’re pretty close," the Democratic governor told WTMJ-AM's Steve Scaffidi. "I think we’ll be pretty close. There may be some small tax increases."

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau pounced: "Is this a joke?" he tweeted.

Just before he defeated Republican Gov. Scott Walker, Evers said he was "planning to raise no taxes," even as he left open the possibility of boosting the gas tax.

Last month, he unveiled his two-year budget, which would raise the gas tax 8 cents a gallon, from 32.9 cents to 40.9 cents. The plan also calls for repealing a law that requires retailers to sell gas at 9 percent above the wholesale price in many cases, which Evers argues will bring the cost of gas down overall.

Evers would also increase taxes on capital gains and on income for some manufacturers.

Separately, his plan would cut income taxes for the middle class. The net result would be an increase in taxes of more than $1 billion over two years.

On WTMJ-AM (620), Evers said all along he had talked about finding more money for highways and downplayed the other tax increases.

POLITIFACT: Evers reverses course on pledge to ‘raise no taxes’

Republicans who control the Legislature have decried his spending plan, saying it's at odds with a campaign pledge.

"The weather is getting nicer, but the governor has been wearing his flip-flops quite a bit recently," said a statement from the Republican leaders of the Legislature's budget committee, Sen. Alberta Darling of River Hills and Rep. John Nygren of Marinette.

Evers spokeswoman Melissa Baldauff said the governor was emphasizing that any tax increase will be small for most people.

She said his plan would make the tax system fairer and cut income taxes for middle-class families by hundreds of dollars a a year. His tax increases are targeted at those who “essentially enjoy an alternative income tax system where they pay much lower effective rates than people with ordinary wage and salary income,” she said by email.

Republicans have said they will reject much or all of Evers' budget and write their own plan. Evers will have the final say on the budget and can veto all or part of what Republican lawmakers send him.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester on Twitter said Evers wasn't acknowledging the scope of his proposed tax increases.

"He wants to raise taxes on manufacturers and property owners just to name a few," Vos tweeted. "It’s unfortunate that @GovEvers can’t even admit it."

Vos has said the governor has not been open to discussions with him and has called their relationship underwhelming and disappointing.

On Thursday, Evers said he expected he would be able to work with Vos and Fitzgerald. But, he said, doing so will be difficult because they passed laws just before he took office that limited the governor's powers.

There have been four lawsuits over those laws.

"The lame-duck session I thought was not particularly helpful to moving the state forward," Evers said.

Nonetheless, he said he could get along with Vos and Fitzgerald, even as he took a jab at them for relentlessly criticizing him.

"I have no animosity but I also understand they need to huff and puff," Evers said. "That happens on both sides."

Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @patrickdmarley.