Time to return growing state surplus to taxpayers

The pile of money keeps getting bigger. No, we’re not talking about the latest lottery jackpot, but the Wisconsin state surplus. It had been estimated the state’s surplus stood at $5 billion leading up to the election. It is now forecast to reach $6.5 billion by summer and nearly $10 billion by 2025. This is good news, putting the state in the best financial position it has ever been. But it also means the state is just sitting on our money, and so far has rejected plans to return it to taxpayers. Governor Evers had proposed sending rebate checks to taxpayers, but the Legislature quickly dismissed that idea. Some suggest our lawmakers wouldn’t agree to anything the Governor proposed to do with the money, because they didn’t want him to be able to take credit for it. They expected to win the Governor’s race, and with a Republican-controlled Legislature could approve tax cuts and take all the credit. Well, that didn’t happen, and the surplus still sits there, with lawmakers remaining out of session until next year. It is time for our lawmakers to return this money to taxpayers, perhaps in the form of permanent tax cuts. It shouldn’t matter who gets credit for it.