(The Center Square) – Wisconsin voters believe that Gov. Tony Evers’ partial veto allowing for 400 years of school levy increases will lead to tax increases for residents for years, according to a new poll.
It showed that 52% of voters believe the veto will mean tax increases each year for centuries while 46% said that the move was necessary to support public schools in the long run.
The survey was conducted Oct. 14-22, interviewing 818 Wisconsin registered voters, with a margin of error of +/-4.3 percentage points.
Voters will get to have their say on removing that power in a statewide referendum on the Nov. 3 ballot that would block future governors from using a partial veto to “create or increase or authorize the creation or increase of any tax or fee.”
Evers used the current veto power to erase numbers and a hyphen to change the year “2024-25” to “2425” in a school appropriation in the budget bill.
That meant a $325 per student per year funding increase for the next 400 years was allowed and later upheld in a 4-3 ruling from the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
If the referendum passes, state lawmakers would then have to pass new legislation to end the tax increase and have it signed by the new governor.
Republican candidate for governor Tom Tiffany has vowed to end the 400-year allowance if he is elected.
The poll showed that 86% of Republicans believed the veto will mean tax increases each year for centuries while 11% said that the move was necessary to support public schools in the long run.
But 85% of Democrats said that the move was necessary compared 1o 15% who believe it will be a tax increase each year.
Of independents, 52% said the veto was necessary to support schools while 42% said it will lead to yearly tax increases.