Wisconsin Department of Revenue Dumps Some Bad News at the Beginning of the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend

When they figured we wouldn't be paying attention.

As announced on The Wheeler Report:  "Collections". 

State tax collections trail estimates, 2013 amount. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/23/2014)

Expect an outbreak of pretzel logic.  The state Department of Revenue released tax collections for this fiscal year through April, showing that the state has collected $10.53 billion since July 1, down 0.2% from the same period in the previous year. The state budget has built in 1% growth for this year.

The year-to-date comparisons

are not as extreme.

However, a 1% growth rate means that total GPR taxes through April 2014 should be $10,665,871,780 - a shortfall, by my calculation, of $128,255,780.

Walker is not the only governor, and presumed 2016 Republican Presidential candidate, whose rosy budget scenario doesn't seem to be going particularly well.