Wisconsin Republicans propose $10K income tax break for hurricane and wildfire relocations

MADISON, Wis. — People who lost their homes to Hurricane Helene or California wildfires could get a sizeable tax break to move to Wisconsin. Republican legislators in the Dairy State have proposed a bill that would give anyone who moves to Wisconsin from North Carolina or Los Angeles County because they were displaced by one of the disasters a $10,000 income tax credit for the 2025 tax year. The bill’s authors, state Rep. Cindi Duchow and state Sen. Dan Feyen, said in memo to their colleagues seeking co-sponsors that the tax credit could draw people to the state and help alleviate chronic workforce shortages, particularly in the health care sector. “Hurricane Helene created massive flooding issues in Appalachia, and the devastating wildfires affecting Los Angeles County have displaced thousands of people from their homes,” the lawmakers wrote in their memo. Some highly skilled workers may consider or be forced to leave North Carolina or California, so why not incentivize them to settle in Wisconsin?” Duchow told The Associated Press that she got the idea for the bill after looking at photos of the wildfire destruction and thinking, “Where do these people go?” The bill makes sense because Wisconsin would offer people displaced by the disasters a safe haven and so many businesses in the state need workers, she said.