Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas from Madison. Click on the photo above to view my holiday greeting from the Capitol Rotunda.
Impressive Department of Workforce Development Report
November job numbers are out and Wisconsin added nearly 10,000 private-sector positions last month. Since November 2017, Wisconsin added 40,500 private-sector jobs.
Data continues to show that everyone who lives in Wisconsin and wants to work has opportunities available to them. Our unemployment rate of 3 percent continues to beat the national average of 3.7 percent.
On Wednesday, the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum released a report showing the Wisconsin's tax burden has hit a 50 year low. Defined as state and local taxes as a share of income, the overall burden has dropped from 10.6% last year to 10.5% this year. Researchers attribute this decline not to the reduction of tax rates, but the growth in personal income which grew at 3.6% this year. In fact, state and local tax revenues rose 2.3% in fiscal year 2018.
During my time in Madison, I've sought to find a balance between funding the services we need and the tax burden we are placing on hard working families around Wisconsin. This data is extremely encouraging and shows that we are doing our job well. We are seeing increases in revenue collections while Wisconsin families are paying less of their income in taxes.
