Remember, this is just a forecast, but it’s positive nonetheless.
[Madison, Wisc…] The Legislative Fiscal Bureau had good news for the State of Wisconsin on Wednesday morning when it announced the state is on track to end the biennium with $137.5 million more in the general fund than originally estimated just four months ago.
In September, when the 2017-19 budget was passed, LFB estimated the state would end the 2019 fiscal year with $247.7 million. Now LFB predicts it will be $385.2 million.
The increase is expected to come from $76.3 million more in tax collections, $1.7 million more in departmental revenues, $97.7 million in lower spending, and a $38.2 million transfer to the budget stabilization fund.
The lower spending mostly comes from debt service adjustments. The state did some refinancing and is not issuing as many new bonds as expected.
My memory is failing, but aren’t income and property taxes lower than 3 years ago? Isn’t this the second year with a surplus? Weren’t there a few naysayers on this blog who predicted the opposite?
Perhaps they all died with the tax cuts. Or the border wall. Or the net neutrality repeal.