Walker Promises Realtors To Keep Property Tax Rates Flat Through 2018

Gov. Scott Walker said if he’s re-elected in November, he’ll make sure property taxes won’t increase at least through 2018.

He made the promise during a speech to the Wisconsin Realtors Association in Madison on Wednesday.

The governor showed the Realtors a chart with a steep rising line representing property taxes if they continued to increase at the rate they did under Gov. Jim Doyle. The other line on the chart was flat with a slight drop in 2014 and then flat out to 2018, representing his plan to hold the line on property taxes.

“I tell you all that here today, because you’re the ones that are going to help sell that not so much to the Legislature, but to people,” Walker said. “Your team here has made a great case to me in the past about the importance of not just holding the line, but chipping away at the property tax burden in this state.

“We understand for all too long, that has been a barrier, so … it’s nice that we’ve stopped that trend that you see in the red up there and level things out,” Walker said.

The governor said he doesn’t have the details yet of a plan to ensure what is essentially a property tax freeze. He told reporters in crafting the next budget he’ll work with the Legislature on a combination of policies.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke has a different plan for property tax relief: She’d like to use half of a $1 billion budget surplus to cut property taxes and also fund job training programs.