Don’t ‘Milwaukee County’ Wisconsin, Says Tiffany

Congressman Tom Tiffany at Clifford’s Supper Club. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Congressman Tom Tiffany believes voters will deliver a clear message to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley in November.

“They’re going to say, ‘Stay in Milwaukee County because we do not want to “Milwaukee County” the entire state of Wisconsin,’” Tiffany said Tuesday morning during a press conference at Clifford’s Supper Club in Hales Corners.

The line came in response to a question about whether Tiffany would debate Crowley, but it neatly summarized an event built around contrasting Tiffany’s economic agenda with Crowley’s record as Milwaukee County executive.

“David Crowley has never met a tax hike that he does not like,” Tiffany said. He also called his opponent “Milwaukee County tax collector David Crowley.”

But Crowley’s track record is not as simple as Tiffany portrayed it.

The congressman repeatedly highlighted increases in Milwaukee County’s property tax levy and described the county’s 2024 sales tax increase as an 80% hike that “nearly doubled” the tax.

That characterization is both accurate and misleading. The county portion of the sales tax increased by 80%, but the overall rate paid by consumers did not. The county addition to the total sales tax rate was 0.4 percentage points, less than 10%. The city, a separate unit of government, added its own 2-percentage-point tax.

The increase was authorized by 2023 Wisconsin Act 12, a sweeping local government funding law approved by Democratic and Republican legislators and signed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The Milwaukee County Board subsequently approved the additional county tax.

Crowley has repeatedly defended Act 12 as evidence of his ability to negotiate with Republican legislators and as a necessary response to decades of the county’s financial problems. Crowley, in office since 2020, has said the agreement helped address approximately $760 million in pension debt, increased shared revenue and prevented drastic cuts to county services.

He has also blamed decisions by prior county executives, including Republican former Gov. Scott Walker, for leaving later administrations with substantial financial obligations. The county has also suffered from a real dollar decline in state funding, including for state-mandated programs, amounting to a loss of $1 billion in funding since 2003.

“MAGA Congressman Tom Tiffany is clearly in meltdown mode if he’s spending his time attacking the people of the state he’s running to lead,” said a Crowley campaign spokesperson in response. “This is a desperate effort to distract from his own extreme record of voting with Donald Trump 100% of the time and ripping healthcare away from his constituents. Unlike Congressman Tiffany, who has sold out working people to pay for tax cuts for billionaires, David has lowered property taxes, created jobs and delivered for our state. Wisconsinites don’t need another career politician like MAGA extremist Congressman Tom Tiffany selling them out to the highest bidder.”

Tiffany said Crowley increased Milwaukee County’s property tax levy in five of his six years in office. He also pointed to a county comptroller forecast identifying a cumulative $169 million budget gap through 2031.

But a big driver of the gap is anticipated inflation and state-imposed limits on property tax increases.

The Milwaukee County budgets approved by Crowley have raised the county’s $300+ million property tax levy by $5 million, a 1.66% increase. After accounting for inflation in the same five-year period, the county’s property tax revenues have decreased.

Counties and municipalities generally cannot increase their operating levies by more than the percentage growth in property value attributable to net new construction, though exceptions exist for debt payments and referendums, the latter of which the county used to finance its share of the Milwaukee Public Museum replacement.

“Wisconsin can’t afford his tax-and-spend record statewide,” Tiffany said.

Eight-Point Plan

Tiffany used the event to unveil an eight-part economic agenda focused on taxes, utility bills and job creation.

He pledged to repeal what Republicans call Evers’ “400-year property tax increase” and then freeze property taxes statewide. The phrase refers to Evers’ partial veto of the 2023-25 state budget, which extended a $325-per-pupil annual increase in school district revenue limits through 2425. The Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld the veto in 2025.

Tiffany also proposed a 10% state income tax cut for households earning less than $150,000 annually and eliminating state income taxes on tips and overtime pay. He said he would return the state’s entire budget surplus to taxpayers, prevent additional sales tax increases and repeal Wisconsin’s minimum markup law, which limits how deeply retailers can discount gasoline and certain other products and is intended to protect small businesses from large companies.

His remaining proposals included appointing Public Service Commission members who would prioritize lower utility rates, preserving baseload power plants, encouraging new nuclear generation and attracting jobs by reducing regulations, accelerating permits and reforming occupational licensing.

How Would Tiffany Pay For It?

The congressman provided few details about what his proposals would cost, how the income tax cut would be structured or how a statewide property tax freeze would affect municipal and school district budgets.

Asked how local governments could maintain police, fire and other services under a freeze, Tiffany said officials would need to prioritize public safety and education. He suggested the state could provide additional shared revenue or other assistance.

“There’s plenty of money in Madison,” he said, pointing to the approximately $15 billion increase in spending in the latest state budget.

Tiffany also argued that tax cuts would stimulate consumer spending and ultimately produce more state revenue.

“When you leave more money in people’s pockets, they spend it,” he said.

But returning the entire state surplus, cutting income taxes and sending additional funding to local governments would all place competing demands on state revenue.

When asked to identify specific areas of the state budget he would cut, Tiffany did not name any programs. He instead promised to audit every part of state government and said savings could be found by eliminating waste and fraud.

“Every corner is going to be audited,” he said, citing fraud allegations in Minnesota and a $2 million Medicaid fraud case in Milwaukee County. Those fraud cases involved federal, not state, funds.

Iran, Canada and Debates

Tiffany also fielded questions on several federal issues.

Asked about rising gasoline prices and his votes against congressional war powers resolutions related to Iran, Tiffany disputed the characterization that he voted against ending the conflict.

“We should end the Iranian conflict, and the sooner the better, and make sure we take care of things at home,” he said before shifting to steps a Wisconsin governor could take to influence utility costs and fuel production.

Tiffany defended President Donald Trump’s approach to trade with Canada, arguing that Canada has taken advantage of the United States and citing its steep tariffs on some Wisconsin dairy products. When confronted with concerns about declining Wisconsin exports and higher consumer prices, Tiffany said tariffs could ultimately produce a fairer agreement and bring manufacturing jobs back to the state.

“You hope that there’s resolution that will happen to this,” he said.

Tiffany was initially less definitive when asked whether he would participate in debates with Crowley, saying his campaign was reviewing requests. Pressed on whether the two candidates would debate, he answered: “For sure.”

He did not accept a specific debate invitation during the press conference.