Wisconsin Truth PAC — which is funded by the special interest donors Ron Johnson delivered $215 million in tax deductions to — is now falsely attacking Lt. Governor Barnes for his plan to cut taxes on the middle class and his firsthand understanding of what working people are going through.

“Unlike Ron Johnson who’s spent his time in the Senate enriching himself and his wealthy donors, Mandela will work to give a tax cut to the middle class,” said Maddy McDaniel, communications director for Mandela Barnes for Wisconsin. “Mandela will always prioritize working families and the middle class because he shares their experience. Wisconsin voters are ready for a leader who understands their struggles and will fight for them, not for special interests.”

FACT: Mandela Barnes Wants To Cut Taxes On The Middle Class — And Pay For It By Ensuring The Wealthy And Corporations Pay Their Fair Share

  • Mandela Barnes: “I Know What It’s Like To Struggle To Pay The Bills And Wonder How You’ll Make Ends Meet. That’s Why I’m Calling On Congress To Pass A Middle Class Tax Cut To Put Money Back In People’s Pockets And Give Working Folks A Fair Shot.” [Business Insider, 6/15/22]

  • Business Insider: Barnes “Would Push For An Expansion Of The Child Tax Credit And The Earned Income Tax Credit If He Were To Serve In The Upper Chamber.”  [Business Insider, 6/15/22]

  • Mandela Barnes Would Ensure That Middle Class Tax Cuts Will Be Paid For By “The Wealthiest Among Us.” [Mandela Barnes for Wisconsin, 5/26/22]

 

FACT: Mandela Barnes Knows Firsthand What Working Families Are Going Through & Paid All Taxes He Owed In Full

  • HEADLINE: Mandela Barnes understands the lived experience of working Wisconsinites [Capital Times, 9/22/21]

  • Lt. Governor Barnes Has Paid All His Taxes. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9/17/21]

  • Mandela Barnes: “I Know The Challenges People Are Facing, Because They Have Also Been My Challenges.” “I know the challenges people are facing, because they have also been my challenges. And we have a Senate that is fundamentally broken because the people there who are in the Senate right now, do not truly understand what life is like for a majority of Americans.” [Politico, 7/22/22]

  • “[Barnes] Can Give Voice To Issues Many In The Senate Cannot Relate To, And He Can Do It Through Lived Experience.” [New York Times, 8/9/22]

 

FACT CHECK: Multi-Millionaire Johnson Paid Less In Income Taxes Than A Married Couple Reporting A Taxable Income Of $40,000 Would Pay — Despite Earning At Least 11 Times That Amount. 

  • HEADLINE: Multimillionaire U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson Paid A Mere $2,105 In State Income Taxes In 2017, Despite Making Big Bucks. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9/30/21]

  • Johnson Paid Less In Income Taxes Than A Married Couple Filing Jointly With Taxable Earnings Of $40,000 Would Pay.  [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9/30/21]

 

FACT: Ron Johnson Thinks The Top 1% Already Pay Their Share And Supports A Plan That Would Raise Taxes On 32% Of Wisconsinites

  • Johnson Thinks The 1 Percent Pay “Pretty Close To Their Fair Share” In Taxes. [Vicki McKenna WIBA, 8/16/21]

  • Johnson Said He Supported “Most Of” Rick Scott’s Original Plan To Rescue America And Called It A “Positive Thing.” [Breitbart News Daily, 3/7/22]

  • Rick Scott’s Original Plan To Rescue America Would Raise Taxes On 32 Percent Of Wisconsinites. [Institute On Taxation And Economic Policy, 3/7/22]

 

FACT: Ron Johnson Supported A Tax Plan That Benefits Himself And His Wealthiest Donors While Burdening Working Families

  • Politifact Rated It True That “The Pass-Through Tax Break Johnson Advocated For In 2017 Overwhelmingly Benefited The Wealthiest, Over Small Businesses.” [Politifact, 6/7/22]

  • HEADLINE: Report: Johnson Pushed For Tax Break Benefitting Megadonors. [Associated Press, 8/11/21]

  • In 2017, Johnson Blocked The Trump Tax Plan Until The Bill Included Sweetened Tax Breaks For Pass-Through Companies. [ProPublica, 8/11/21]

  • Johnson Switched From An Opponent Of The Tax Bill To A Supporter After Getting More Generous Tax Cuts That Benefited His Donors. [Associated Press, 8/11/21]

  • Confidential Tax Records Showed That Johnson’s Last Minute Push For Greater Tax Benefits For Pass-Through Companies Netted Two Families Who Were Among Johnson’s Biggest Donors $215 Million In Deductions In 2018 Alone. [ProPublica, 8/11/21]

  • Johnson Conceded That He Personally Benefited From The Tax Provision He Added Into The Republican Tax Plan, As Did Several Of His Top Donors. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/11/22]

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