Rep. Robyn Vining Co-Authors Main Street Recovery Package

MADISON – Today, State Representative Robyn Vining and her colleagues introduced the Main Street Recovery Package, legislation designed to provide tax relief to Wisconsin small businesses and working families. LRB-1733/1 would ensure that Wisconsin businesses are not taxed on the state grants that they received from programs created using federal CARES Act funding, such as the We’re All In grants. LRB-1732/1 would allow individuals to claim their 2019 earned income for 2020 for the purpose of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which would put our state in line with the new federal Consolidated Appropriations Act. This bill would:

1) Avoid having these workers do two calculations – one utilizing their 2019 earned income amount for federal purposes, and a second calculation for their Wisconsin return, using the 2020 earned income amount (as WI is a percentage of federal EITC).

2) Have a higher earned income credit by using earned income by electing to use their earned income from 2019 (prior to the pandemic interrupting their ability to work).

Representative Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa) issued the following statement in response:

“Small businesses and working families are the backbone of our economy and have suffered immensely over the past several months due to the economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic. We seek to leave no road untraveled in trying to help our small businesses recover, and today we introduce the Main Street Recovery Package. We have designed this package to provide tax relief when small businesses need it most.

“When the pandemic hit Wisconsin, my first calls were about how we can help and support small businesses during these incredibly difficult times. In April when the legislature was considering COVID-19 relief legislation, support for small businesses was my top priority. In the discussion for the new COVID-19 response bill, Assembly Bill 1, I spoke on the floor about our proposals to provide continued support for small businesses, now ten months after the pandemic began.

“I will continue fighting for small businesses in response to COVID-19, to provide relief to those small businesses and working families that are struggling, and build towards economic recovery. Today’s introduction of the Main Street Recovery Package is the next step in that fight on behalf of Wisconsin’s small businesses.”

Rep. Vining represents the 14th Assembly District, which includes parts of Brookfield, Wauwatosa, and Milwaukee. For more information, visit Rep. Vining’s website here. 

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.