ITS SIGNING, SENIOR POLITICAL
REPORTER ZAC SCHULTZ LOOK A LOOK
AT SOME OF THE VETOES GOVERNOR
EVERS MADE.
ONE OF THE VETOES HAS BEEN
DESCRIBED AS THE CRAZIEST THING
BY A UW-MADISON PROFESSOR WHO IS
A TAX AND BUDGET POLICY EXPERT.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE EVERS
VETO OF LANGUAGE THAT WOULD
UPDATE TAX WITHHOLDING TABLES.
YAWN, RIGHT?
WELL, NOT SO FAST.
ZAC SCHULTZ JOINS US FROM THE
CAPITOL TO EXPLAIN.
ZAC, CHAIRCHTIO THANKS A LOT FOG
US.
>> MY PLEASURE, FRED.
REPUBLICANS WROTE A BUDGET WITH
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TAX CUTS.
THE GOVERNOR SIGNED IT BUT
DIDN'T SIGN LANGUAGE THAT WOULD
ALIGN WITHHOLDING TABLES.
WHAT IS THE IMPLICATION OF NOT
ALIGNING THE WITHHOLDING TABLES?
>> WELL, THE IMPLICATION IS IF
YOU ARE RECEIVING A PAYCHECK AND
YOUR EMPLOYER TAKES OUT YOUR
STATE AND FEDERAL INCOME TAX OUT
WITH EVERY PAYCHECK, THEN YOU
WON'T SEE AN INCREASE IN YOUR
TAKE-HOME PAY DUE TO THESE TAX
CUTS.
IN THEORY, THIS WILL REDUCE YOUR
TAX BURDEN WHICH SHOULD LOWER
THE AMOUNT OF TAX YOU PAY BUT
YOU WON'T SEE THAT UNTIL YOU
FILE YOUR RETURN NEXT SPRING.
IT'S UP TO YOUR EMPLOYER TO
DECIDE HOW MUCH TO TAKE OUT
ACCORDING TO THESE WITHHOLDING
TABLE THE STATE SETS UP.
ANYONE CAN ADJUST THEIR OWN
WITHHOLDING NUMBERS BY CHANGING
THEIR W4 THROUGH THEIR
EMPLOYER'S HR SYSTEM, BUT IN
GENERAL THE EMPLOYER TAKES CARE
OF IT.
>> SO WHY DOES THE BUDGET EXPERT
CALL THIS THE CRAZIEST THING
HE'S EVER SEEN?
>> WELL, IT'S COMING FROM A TAX
EXPERT, AND THEY BELIEVE THAT
EVERYONE SHOULD WANT THEIR MONEY
AS SOON AS IT'S THEIR MONEY AND
THEY SHOULDN'T LET THE STATE
HOLD ON TO THEIR MONEY FOR AN
ENTIRE YEAR.
THESE ARE SOME OF THE PEOPLE
THAT WILL ADJUST THEIR OWN
WITHHOLDING TABLES ANYTIME
SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS THAT.
IT'S CRAZY TO THEM TO THINK THE
STATE WOULDN'T AUTOMATICALLY DO
THAT TO GET THE MONEY BACK OUT
TO THE PEOPLE.
>> SO THE STATE GETS TO HOLD ON
TO THE POT OF MONEY DERIVED FROM
PEOPLE BEING OVERTAXED, BUT NO
ONE IS GOING TO LOSE THAT MONEY
BECAUSE THEY'LL GET A BIGGER
REFUND COME FILING TIME.
>> THAT'S ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
THE STATE'S GOING TO HOLD ON TO
THIS MONEY.
AND THE REASON WHY THIS
HAPPENED, THIS ISN'T A NEW
THING.
THE LAST TIME THE TAX
WITHHOLDING TABLES WERE ADJUSTED
WAS APRIL OF 2014.
SO MOREHAN SEVEN YEARS AGO.
THIS ISN'T JUST A GOVERNOR
EVERS' THING.
IT'S JUST THIS IS THE MOST
RECENT TAX CUT.
IT HASN'T BEEN DONE BECAUSE IT
COSTS A LOT OF MONEY TO PROPERLY
ADJUST THE WITHHOLDING TABLES.
THEN THE STATE DOESN'T HAVE THAT
MONEY, IT GOES OUT TO WORKERS.
REPUBLICANS PUT IT IN THE BUDGET
BECAUSE THEY SAID WE HAVE ALL
THE MONEY.
WE HAVE BUDGET FOR THAT ONE-TIME
PAYMENT OF $6 TO $7 MILLION
RIGHT NOW.
GOVERNOR EVERS VETOED THAT
BECAUSE HE SAYS HE WANTS THAT
MONEY TO BE AVAILABLE TO BE
REINVESTED IN EDUCATION
ESPECIALLY IF THE REQUIREMENTS
CHANGE TO CAPTURE THE COVID
DOLLARS COMING INTO PUBLIC
SCHOOLS.
SO THIS HAS IMPLICATIONS THAT GO
BACK TO EDUCATION AND MUCH
BROADER THAN JUST A WITHHOLDING
TABLE.
>> MUCH BROADER THAN JUST OUR
PAYCHECKS, APPARENTLY, UNDER THE
DOME THERE.
BUT THERE ARE TWO MORE PIECES TO
THIS.
ONE, THAT IF EVERS SIGNS THE TAX
WITHHOLDING TABLE LANGUAGE, THE
TAX CUTS WOULD BE PERMANENT?
IS THAT ACCURATE?
AND DOES THAT PLAY ANY PART IN
THE VETO?
>> WELL, THAT'S ONE OF THE
THEORIES OUT THERE SPECULATED BY
THIS UW PROFESSOR AS TO WHY
MAYBE IN THE CONSPIRACY LAND
GOVERNOR EVERS WOULDN'T DO THIS,
HOPING THE NEXT LEGISLATURE
WOULD BE DEMOCRATS AND IT WOULD
BE EASIER TO REPEAL THESE TAX
CUTS AND TAXPAYERS WOULDN'T KNOW
THE DIFFERENCE.
I TALKED TO PETER BARCA.
HE SAID ABSOLUTELY THAT IS NOT
TRUE, THATHE DOR CAN DO THIS
WHENEVER THEY WANT.
STATE LAW REQUIRES THE
DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE TO ADJUST
THE WITHHOLDING TABLES FROM TIME
TO TIME.
THE PROBLEM IS FROM TIME TO
TIME, WE'RE ALREADY SEVEN YEARS
IN AND IT HASN'T HAPPENED AND
THERE'S A LOT OF POLITICS THAT
GO INTO PLAYING WITH THIS, WHICH
IS WHY REPUBLICANS WANTED TO DO
IT NOW.
SECRETARY BARCA TOLD ME THAT ONE
OF THE REASONS THAT EVERS DIDN'T
DO IT NOW IS BECAUSE HE DOESN'T
LIKE BEING TOLD TO DO IT NOW.
THAT STATE LANGUAGE IN THE
BUDGET SAID IT HAD TO BE DONE BY
OCTOBER 1.
SECRETARY BARCA SAYS THEY PLAN
TO LOOK AT THE TABLES OVER THE
COURSE OF THE NEXT YEAR AND
ADJUST THOSE ACCORDINGLY.
HE JUST DN'T WANT A DEADLINE
THAT ACTUALLY IS COMING UP
PRETTY QUICKLY IN TERMS OF
MAKING THOSE ADJUSTMENTS NOW.
>> WOW.
LOTS OF STUFF.
BUT LET'S TOUCH ON ANOTHER STORY
YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON.
NAMELY, MONEY FOR A SPECIALTY
CHARTER SCHOOL IN VILAS COUNTY.
GOVERNOR EVERS VETOED THIS.
WHY DID HE DO THAT ACCORDING TO
YOUR REPORTING?
>> WELL, THIS SPECIALTY SCHOOL
WAS CREATED A FEW YEARS AGO AS
PART OF A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN
MINOCQUA.
IT HAS A LINE ITEM OF A MILLION.
THE GOVERNOR VETOED IT EACH
TIME, SAYING HE DOESN'T WANT TO
PICK WINNERS AND LOSERS.
IT'S A TINY SCHOOL.
THEY SERVE 30 STUDENTS.
WOULD GET ALL THIS MONEY WHEN HE
FEELS BUDGET SCHOOLS IN GENERAL
HAVEN'T BEEN FUNDED PROPERLY.
REPUBLICANS ARE SAYING THIS IS A
SPECIAL SCHOOL THAT'S BEEN
CREATEDO SERVE STUDENTS WITH
AUTISM.
YOU'LL HAVE TO GO TO THE STORY
AND LEARN ALL THE OTHER ESHES.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
THIS REPORTING, ZAC.
AGAIN, YOU CAN LOOK FOR THAT
REPORTING ON MONDAY ON
pbswisconsin.org AND THEN GO TO
THE NEWS PAGE.
ZAC, THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR WORK.
>> MY PLEASURE.
THANKS.
>> SPEAKIN