The state Assembly received a petition from 32 Wisconsin business leaders early Wednesday arguing for increased support and funding from the Assembly for the UW System in budget negotiations.
The petition stated the Assembly version of the budget falls $120 million short in funding the UW System’s student services, research programs, academics and business outreach.
“There have been volumes of letters sent individually by business leaders in various formats,” said Jessica Tormey, spokesperson for the UW System. “There is a continual willingness and drive by business leaders … to be vocal on behalf of the UW System.”
State Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, sent members of the Legislature a response to the letter in a press release. He said the letter written by the business leaders does not address the significant tax increases needed to fund the UW System on the levels proposed by Gov. Jim Doyle and the Senate.
“The fact is, the Assembly gives the UW System a $62 million increase—that’s 3 percent over the biennium. They will not take a cut,” said Mike Mikalsen, Nass’ spokesperson.
The funding requested by the UW System would be provided by a $1.8 billion tax increase in the governor’s budget and an almost $10 billion tax increase in the Senate budget, said Nass in his statement.
Nass also called attention to a much larger petition signed by business leaders who oppose the tax increases proposed by the Senate. The petition he refers to, organized by the business lobbyist group Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, includes over 1,000 signatures.
“We provided our members and other businesses across the state an opportunity to sound off on the tax increases that are involved in the budget that was ultimately passed by the Senate,” said Jeff Schoepke, director of Tax and Corporate Policy at WMC. “The Assembly’s version of the budget had no increases.”
The WMC petition that Nass cited in his release regards health care financing issues, according to Tormey, and does not relate to the UW System budget or the petition issued by the business leaders.
“To support the university system’s budget does not mean you have to support tax increases,” Tormey said. “Those don’t have to be associated with one another. Nobody likes tax increases.”
