by Benjamin Yount
Gov. Tony Evers scored better than three of Wisconsin’s four neighbors on a new state budget report card, but reformers in the state say less-bad is not the same as good.
The Cato Institute this week gave Gov. Tony Evers a “C” on its Fiscal Policy Report Card.
“As governor, Evers has often been at odds with the legislature. Upon entering office, he focused on boosting education spending, expanding Medicaid, hiking the gas tax, and increasing the minimum wage. The legislature opposed those policies. Evers has wanted to repeal Act 10, which reformed labor unionism in state and local government. The legislature opposed that proposal as well,” Cato says in its report.
Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota’s governors all got “F” grades on the Cato report card. Iowa’s governor got an “A,” and scored higher than all of the governors graded.
“The people of Wisconsin are not average, they are exceptional,” Institute for Reforming Government President CJ Szafir told The Center Square. “Whether it’s eliminating the state income tax, expanding school choice and parental rights, or reigning in out-of-control spending in Madison, Wisconsinites tell us they are ready for the reforms necessary to transform our state into one of the most dynamic, robust and free economies in the nation. All that is lacking is the bold, forward-thinking leadership required to enact them”
Cato grades governors on their fiscal policies from a limited‐government perspective. Governors receiving an “A” are those who have cut taxes and spending the most, whereas governors receiving an “F” have increased taxes and spending the most.
Evers gets credit in the report for signing two state budgets written by Republican lawmakers who rejected the governor’s calls to raise taxes by at least $2 billion and increase spending by about $6 billion.
“In 2019, the governor agreed to cut income tax rates for the middle class while increasing vehicle fees, for a net tax reduction of more than $100 million a year,” the report noted. “In 2021, Evers signed into law a major reform that cut the second-highest individual income tax rate from 6.27 percent to 5.3 percent. The cut will save taxpayers about $1 billion a year.”
“The Republican-led legislature rejected Governor Evers’ billion dollar tax increases,” Szafir added. “This saved the state and is the biggest reason why the Cato Institute did not give Governor Evers an ‘F’ like the governors in Illinois and California. Next year, IRG Action looks forward to working with the next governor and legislature to give us an ‘A’ in fiscal policy.”
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Benjamin Yount is a contributor to The Center Square.
Photo “Tony Evers” by Tony Evers.
