Wisconsinites Want Tax Relief

A new Marquette Law School poll is putting numbers behind what many Wisconsin families have been saying for months: rising costs are taking a toll, and voters want tax relief.

According to the poll, 80% of Wisconsin adults said the state Legislature should have passed a proposed bill using part of the projected state budget surplus to reduce property taxes, increase special education funding and provide rebates to taxpayers.

For Sen. Dan Feyen of Wisconsin, the results reflect what he says he has been hearing directly from constituents while traveling his district.

“A new Marquette Law School poll released earlier this week confirms what I’ve been hearing from so many of you as I travel the district: Wisconsin families are struggling with rising costs and want real tax relief,” Feyen said.

A Surplus and a Compromise

Wisconsin is currently operating with a sizable projected budget surplus. The proposal referenced in the Marquette poll would have used $1.8 billion of a projected $2.5 billion state surplus for a package that included property tax relief, special education funding, taxpayer rebate checks, and the elimination of taxes on tips and overtime.

The bill was negotiated by Gov. Tony Evers and legislative leaders and passed the Assembly with bipartisan support. It was later defeated in the Senate on May 13.

Feyen said the proposal was the product of compromise in divided government.

“Of course, everyone has their own ideas on how to spend a surplus, but working in a divided government, compromise is needed,” Feyen said. “Legislative Republicans entered into good-faith negotiations with the Governor and came to a compromise that encompassed a little of what both sides wanted, and most importantly would have got a large portion of the surplus back into your pockets.”

What the Plan Included

The tax relief package included several components aimed at returning surplus dollars to Wisconsin residents and easing pressure on families.

According to Feyen, the bill included no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, direct surplus payments, property tax relief and special education reimbursement.

The Marquette poll question described the proposal as a plan to increase special education funding, reduce school property taxes by about 5%, send rebate checks of $300 to individuals and $600 to married couples who paid state income taxes, and eliminate taxes on tips and overtime.

For Feyen, the principle behind the bill was straightforward.

“The concept was simple: the government took too much of your money, so the government should give it back,” he said.

Support Across Party Lines

One of the most notable findings in the Marquette poll was how broad support for the proposal was across Wisconsin’s political landscape.

The poll found that 77% of Republicans, 81% of independents and 82% of Democrats said the Legislature should have passed the surplus bill. Support was also strong among conservatives, moderates and liberals, with more than three-quarters of each group in favor of passage.

Regional support was similarly widespread. The poll found majority support in Milwaukee, the rest of the Milwaukee media market, the Madison media market, the Green Bay/Appleton media market, and the north and west media markets.

“When 80% of the population — Republicans, Democrats and Independents — can agree on anything these days, I’d say that should send a crystal clear message down to Madison,” Feyen said.

Voters Wanted Action Now

The poll also tested concerns raised by opponents who argued the state should wait because of potential future budget uncertainty.

Even with that concern included in the question, 69% of respondents said it would be better to provide special education funding, property tax reductions and rebate checks now, while 21% said it would be better to delay until next year. Support for acting now included 68% of Republicans, 67% of independents and 74% of Democrats.

That finding suggests the proposal’s appeal went beyond the usual partisan divisions and reflected a more immediate concern for household budgets.

A Message for Madison

The poll also found that fewer than 20% of respondents said political figures who opposed the bill did the right thing, while 65% said Evers did the right thing in supporting it.

For Feyen, the message is clear: Wisconsin residents wanted relief, and they wanted lawmakers to act.

“Sadly, the response from Senate Democrats was still a unanimous ‘no,’” Feyen said.

The Marquette Law School Poll was conducted May 20-21, 2026, among 454 Wisconsin adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 5.5 percentage points.

With costs still weighing on families, the poll points to a rare area of agreement in a divided political moment. Wisconsin residents may not agree on every policy question, but on this one, the message was hard to miss: send more of the surplus back to the people who earned it.