THEINSVILLE, Wisconsin – Jan. 23, 2023 – State Senate Candidate Van Mobley (R-Thiensville) is calling on Governor Tony Evers and the State Legislature to use Wisconsin’s nearly $7 billion dollar surplus to permanently abolish the state income tax. It would make Wisconsin the first state in the Midwest to eliminate the state income tax.
“Wisconsin’s massive budget surplus is a wonderful opportunity for Gov. Evers and the State Legislature to permanently abolish the state income tax in the new biennial budget,” said Mobley. “Abolishing the state income tax would benefit all workers, improve family budgets, and boost our state economy.”
According to a 2021 study released by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Research On the Wisconsin Economy (CROWE) eliminating the state income tax would increase after tax income by about 9.4% and lead to a net tax cut of roughly $1,700 per household. These amounts presume that a 3% sales tax would be introduced to offset the elimination of the income tax.
The Tax Foundation ranks Wisconsin 38th for individual tax burden and 27th in overall tax burden. Their analysis concludes workers would be inclined to avoid a high taxation state like Wisconsin in favor of states with lower tax burdens. Eliminating the income tax would also help retain current workers and prevent “brain drain” where Wisconsin natives move to other states for employment after graduating.
Of the top 10 states in net migration in 2021 four of them – Florida, Nevada, Tennessee, and Texas –were states without income tax according to a study by the American Enterprise Institute. Florida and Texas both have constitutional amendments ensuring that their residents cannot be subjected to an income tax.
If elected, Mobley plans to immediately pursue the abolition of the Wisconsin state income tax. On his first day in the State Senate Mobley pledges that he would begin drafting a budget amendment, a standalone bill, and an amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution all focused on permanently abolishing the state income tax.
“We need to put ‘We the People’ first and government second. Other states that have done it are seeing great results,” said Mobley. “Let the people of Wisconsin keep their hard-earned money so they have less stress in their lives, and let’s force the state government to start living on a tighter budget.”
Mobley is currently the Thiensville Village President and a professor of history and economics at Concordia University. He is running in the Republican Primary in the Spring Election on Tuesday, February 21st for the 8th Senate District Seat which is vacant due to the retirement of longtime incumbent State Senator Alberta Darling.
