Tax Fairness for Wisconsin’s Middle Class

MADISON – This week, State Representative Daniel Riemer (D – Milwaukee) proposed a middle-class income tax cut that provides over $800 million in tax relief to Wisconsin workers. By the second year, the vast majority of the cut, over 90%, will reduce the tax burden of Wisconsinites earning between $10,000 and $100,000. The average tax decrease for those making between $40,000 and $80,000 will be nearly $200 a year. Representative Riemer released the following statement with introduction of the proposal:

“Wisconsin’s middle class families work hard and care about their communities. They understand that taxes are necessary to pay for police officers, firefighters, and teachers. While we cannot avoid taxes, we ought to do everything we can to reduce them responsibly, especially for Wisconsin’s working families.”

Middle-class Wisconsinites deserve a big tax cut because they pay a larger share of their income in state and local taxes than any other group. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, in 2015, non-elderly Wisconsin taxpayers making between $22,000 and $91,000 annually paid on average between 10.0 percent and 10.2 percent of their income in state and local taxes. The top 1 percent paid a lower 6.2 percent of their income in state and local taxes. This isn’t fair to working families, and this proposed tax cut would offset much of the additional tax burden on the middle class.

“Wisconsin workers, like the one’s I represent, are no longer getting ahead even when the economy grows. While the cost of living continues to rise, middle class incomes have been flat or have declined,” said Representative Riemer.

“It’s time for change. It’s time for fairness. Wisconsin’s middle class deserves a tax cut. The rich and super-rich can afford to pay their fair share. That’s why the bill I’m proposing, in cutting the middle-class’s tax bill by over $800 million, offsets the cut through the creation of a tax bracket on individuals earning over $1 million a year. Overall, we must reduce taxes in a matter that overwhelmingly benefits middle class people – not the very, very wealthy, and certainly not the top 1%.

“To build a true Foundation for Freedom, we must restore balance to the tax system with cuts to income taxes for working families and the middle class, while requiring the super-wealthy and those who live on loopholes to pay their fair share.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.