MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Democrats are proposing a back-to-school tax holiday to lower costs for families as they prepare for a new school year.
The bill from Rep. Jenna Jacobs and Sen. Brad Pfaff would exempt school supplies that cost under $100 per item and clothing that costs under $150 per item from state and local sales taxes for three days each August.
Watch: Wisconsin Democrats propose back-to-school tax holiday:
“This measure will save real money for people. It is a step in the direction of lowering costs across this district and across our state,” Jacobs said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Republicans passed a similar, one-time sales tax holiday in 2018 under former Gov. Scott Walker. Most Democrats opposed that bill, branding it an election year stunt to buy votes.
“It’s nice to see liberal Democrats agree with Gov. Walker for once and take a page out of his playbook as they copy our old school tax holiday proposal,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, the state’s top Republican, said.
Pfaff said he would have voted for Republicans’ tax holiday in 2018.
“I wasn’t here in 2018,” Pfaff said. “I support this legislation today and I would support a similar piece of legislation back in 2018.”
The proposal from Democrats comes as they hope to take control of the state Senate and hold onto the governor’s office in 2026. If the Legislature passes the bill, the earliest the first tax holiday could take place is August 2026.
“I am confident that we can get bipartisan support for this piece of legislation,” Pfaff said.
Vos didn’t specify whether he would support the new proposal from Democrats. The Republican co-chairs of the legislative committee that reviews tax exemptions did not respond to requests for comment.
According to the National Retail Federation, K-12 parents are expected to spend an average of $249 on clothing and $144 on school supplies per student. With a 5% state sales tax in Wisconsin and a local sales tax of 0.5% in most counties, an exemption would amount to a little more than $20 in savings per student if families make all their purchases during the tax holiday.
Under the bill, the state would also reimburse counties for the tax revenue they lose out on.
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