MADISON, WI (WTAQ) – Wisconsin’s transportation secretary said Governor Scott Walker would be open to higher taxes for new highways — if an equal amount of taxes are cut elsewhere.
Mark Gottlieb told the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee Wednesday the Republican Walker would only raise transportation revenues if it does not put a “burden on the taxpayer.”
Walker’s proposed budget shuns higher taxes and fees, and instead borrows $1.3 billion over the next two years. That’s 30 percent higher than the transportation bonding in the current budget, but Gottlieb notes that Walker would not borrow for state buildings in the next budget.
Senate Republican Luther Olsen of Ripon said the state would be in a “no-win situation” if it doesn’t address the revenue issue.
However, Senate GOP leader Scott Fitzgerald recently wrote that raising the gas tax would be a “non-starter” in the Senate. He calls such a hike a “terrible blow to Wisconsin’s middle-class families.”
In the Assembly, Majority Leader Jim Steineke says all options should be on the table. Speaker Robin Vos has said he might consider a new fee according to how many miles people drive.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
