Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers proposed a plan on Thursday that would give every resident of the state of Wisconsin a $150 tax rebate. The plan would also send hundreds of millions of dollars into education in the state and would help with the rising cost of gas and goods at stores, Evers said.
The governor announced the plan onTwitterwriting that the money would come from a state surplus and would help reduce "barriers to work by making caregiving and childcare more affordable."
Gov. Evers' office wrote, "We've worked hard to provide hundreds of dollars in relief to Wisconsinites through withholding table changes and our tax cuts—including one of the largest income tax cuts in state history—but I know folks are still being stretched thin due to rising prices, and we can do more."
As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, Gov. Evers plan would also aim to help cover childcare costs for parents and it would potentially funnel around $750 million into Wisconsin education.
Gov. Ever's election-year plan is reminiscent of his predecessor, Republican Scott Walker, who offer something similar as he headed into reelection in 2018, according to the Milwaukee Journal.
As the Associated Press noted, the plan would have to be approved first by the state's Republican-controlled legislature and GOP leaders there have said they'd like to use the money, which comes from a surplus, to offer a tax cut in 2023.
Evers, who had criticized a similar plan by his predecessor in 2018, said Thursday, “We weren’t in a pandemic back then and we didn’t have people that were struggling mightily at home, especially with some inflationary costs.”
Gov. Evers also said Thursdaythat he plans to invest $180 million into property tax relief and $130 million into a plan for childcare and "childgiver tax credits."