News

State tax freeze draws reactions

Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle highlighted what he views as statewide success for his property tax freeze plan Monday, drawing accusations of fabricated exaggerations from Wisconsin Republican officials.

"I signed a property tax freeze because I think taxpayers in our state have done their part — and it is time for us to do ours," Doyle said in a press release. "This is one of the most significant property tax relief plans in the history of the state. With this freeze, we kept the faith with Wisconsin families."

According to the governor's office, the state's home and business owners will experience an average property tax increase of $23, a figure Doyle supporters say is $15 less than the increase that could have been expected had the Republicans' own tax freeze plan been enacted.

State Republicans, however, are charging the governor's tax freeze has failed the people of Wisconsin, leaving citizens disappointed after Doyle initially made lofty promises of no property tax increases at all.

"Gov. Doyle promised no increase in property taxes and that's not true; even he admits that," Mark Graul, campaign manager of 2006 gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Wis., said.

Graul also questioned the accuracy of Doyle's figures, saying an independent agency must conduct its own analysis in order to determine whether the governor's plan actually saves taxpayers as much money as he claims.

"The numbers that his office released [Monday] are not based on solid analysis," Graul said. "Regardless of what Gov. Doyle's numbers say, the truth is … people's property taxes are higher than they were when he came into office, and nothing he can say can change that fact," Graul added.

Republicans continue to support their own party's tax freeze plan, an initiative state legislators originally proposed in the state's 2003-2005 biennial budget and later passed as legislation. Both measures faced gubernatorial vetoes, however, and legislators were compelled to resubmit their plan in the 2005-2007 budget, which was vetoed in part and altered by Doyle.

State Republicans back their version as a true freeze with long-term effects, pointing out that the governor's freeze will only last until the 2006 election, when the problem must be readdressed.

Democrats, in response, are praising Doyle's plan as the only responsible way to bring relief to taxpayers without damaging the quality of Wisconsin's public schools.

"What we're seeing is the governor has succeeded in fully funding education, which is critical when we're talking about growing our economy," Scott Larrivee, Wisconsin Department of Administration spokesperson, said. "[The governor's plan] invests in education and delivers the relief taxpayers deserve."

Other areas' tax increases will fluctuate from property owner to property owner, with 53 counties expected to experience smaller increases than in the past, according to the State Budget Office.

In the city of Madison, property tax bills are expected to increase by an average of $77 this year.

The state is currently waiting for the property tax bills of an expected 900 municipalities, after which it will begin its independent analysis.