FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, June 22, 2011
CONTACT: Viet Shelton (920) 204-6746
Randy Hopper’s budget spin lies about tax increases on Wisconsin working families Hopper issues public statement on budget claiming it has “no tax increases” despite the nearly $70 million in hikes for seniors and working families OSHKOSH – With only the formality of Gov. Scott Walker’s pen signing the extreme, job-killing state budget into law remaining, Sen. Randy Hopper is busy misleading voters about the true cost of his budget’s attacks on Wisconsin’s working families – including tax increases for seniors and the working poor. Since the Senate rammed thru the radical Republican budget, Sen. Hopper continues to openly boast that his budget had “no tax increases.” Hopper’s claim is blatantly false. The budget Hopper helped author as a member of the Joint Finance Committee raises taxes by nearly $70 million on seniors and working families, while offering massive tax giveaways to corporations and super rich like himself. By slashing the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Homestead Credit, which many Wisconsin seniors rely, Hopper’s budget raises taxes on these individuals and families. These tax hikes are confirmed by both the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau and independent fact-checking body PolitiFact. This is despite Hopper’s blatantly false claims to the contrary. Randy Hopper’s state budget contains multi-million dollar tax increases on seniors and working families. It is fact. “By every objective measure, Randy Hopper’s budget raises taxes on seniors and working families by nearly $70 million, while offering massive tax giveaways to out-ofstate corporations and wealthy investors like himself,” said Mike McDowell, a teacher from Fond du Lac. “No matter how many times Randy Hopper repeats his blatant falsehoods on the budget, no amount of rhetoric can erase the terrible choices he made to gut public education while raising taxes on seniors and working families in his district.”
### Paid for by We Are Wisconsin PAC, Phil Neuenfeldt, Treasurer. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s agent or committee.