Governor Tony Evers Proposing $150 Refund Check For Every Wisconsin Resident
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers introduced a proposal Thursday that would put money into the pockets of every resident in Wisconsin.
On January 25, 2022, it was announced the state General Fund balance would have a $3.8 billion surplus at the end of the 2021-23 biennium. That is nearly $2.9 billion more than was expected in June 2021, when the Legislative Fiscal Bureau announced 'unprecedented' revenue projections that were more than $4.4 billion higher than had previously been estimated in January.
At that time Governor Evers took great pride in the surplus projections:
“I’m proud of our efforts to make smart decisions with taxpayer dollars, get folks back to work, and keep more money in Wisconsinites’ pockets. These unprecedented revenue projections are great news for our state on top of reaching record-low unemployment and having the fewest number of people unemployed in our state’s history,” said Gov. Evers. “At the end of the day, I know folks and families are facing rising costs at the checkout line and businesses are facing challenges getting resources and supplies. Wisconsinites need help making ends meet and can’t wait until the next biennial budget—they need relief now.”
Today we learned what he plans to do with that money and it'll likely make a lot of Wisconsin residents happy.
Upon learning the state had a $3.8 billion surplus, Governor Evers proposed to utilize that surplus to send $150 to every Wisconsinite, and $600 for every Wisconsin family of four, to "help address rising costs at the gas pump and checkout lines while reducing barriers to work by making caregiving and childcare more affordable".
Residents need not worry about submitting a request to get the proposed surplus refund check as the refund would be distributed using tax return information.