Contact:
Ethnie Groves, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2156
Marotta Points Out Bigger Savings for Taxpayers Under Governor’s Freeze
The Doyle Administration today released a one-page
comparison of the Governor’s property tax freeze, which the Governor
detailed last night in his Budget Address, and the current Republican
freeze.
Department of Administration Secretary Marc Marotta made the
following statement:
“Last night, Governor Doyle outlined an historic property
tax freeze, which not only strictly limits property tax increases but also
protects education and vital local services. The Governor’s freeze includes
strict limits on what communities can tax, and new state investments in
schools and local services to take the burden off property taxpayers. In
doing so, the Governor’s freeze avoids $900 million in property tax
increases – saving the typical homeowner $336 over the next two years.
“As the comparison shows, the Governor’s plan and the
Republican plan achieve virtually the same savings for property taxpayers.
If Republicans want to quibble over numbers, the fact is that an average
homeowner would save about $11 more under the Governor’s plan than under the
Republican plan. Out of respect for the Republicans, the Governor did not
point this out in his speech.
“Just so there is no confusion, the Governor’s plan achieves
the same goal as the Republican plan – freezing property taxes. The only
difference is that the Governor protects education and local services by
fully funding the state’s commitment to schools and communities.”
The analysis compares property tax increases on a median
valued home (valued at $150,526) under the Governor’s freeze with the
Republican plan. The analysis relies on the Republicans own estimates of
the effect of their plan, based on the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
