Working for a better Wisconsin. Husband. Dad. Occasional coach. COO at Institute for Reforming Government, Executive Director at IRG Action Fund.
Beaver Dam, WI
Joined March 2013
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Chris Reader retweeted
We are celebrating another Brewer victory on Thursday’s Benjamin Yount Show. We are one win away. Plus we look at how “radical” a zero-income tax plan really is. And the excuse for WI’s drop in mail-in voting doesn’t really add-up. Join us 6-9 on @newstalk1130
Chris Reader retweeted
ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE! @badgerinstitute is pushing back on claim that they oppose @TomTiffanyWI's income tax comments. They are strongly in favor of significant tax reform done in a thoughtful, responsible way.
@ReformingGovt has also pushed back, reminding people that eliminating the income tax isn't radical, it's extremely popular. 65% of independents and 64% of Democrats support eliminating the income tax.
The @DemGovs @DanRShafer @milwcouriernews should keep pushing their message, but they may need to in-kind it to Tom's campaign.
badgerinstitute.org/what-the…
The groups mentioned should do press statements on the issue. @badgerinstitute @ReformingGovt Maybe add @maciverwisc @WILawLiberty
Chris Reader retweeted
Polling Shows Wide Support for Zero Income Tax in Wisconsin maciverinstitute.com/news/po…
Chris Reader retweeted
I've been preaching this for years, and agree with the Heartland Post regarding the risks….
@HeartlandPostWI is spot on with the risks Wisconsin faces if it doesn't get its fiscal house in order. And it's further proof that we need to move toward eliminating the state income tax to remain competitive. New state leadership could definitely help position Wisconsin to retain and attract families, workers, and employers. heartlandpost.com/florida-my…
Chris Reader retweeted
Eliminating the state income tax would not only help drive economic growth in Wisconsin but help ensure "spending discipline and restrict the ability of future governments to raise income taxes to pay for rich labor agreements and social-welfare expansions." wsj.com/opinion/missouri-ame…
Chris Reader retweeted
NEW IRG POLL: Wisconsin voters are focused on affordability, supportive of free-market solutions and far from settled on the governor’s race.
Key findings:
🔴 82% say inflation and the cost of living are very important
🔴 “Free market economy” earns a +48 net favorability rating
🔴 Voters support eliminating Wisconsin’s personal income tax by 2030 by a 73-19 margin
🔴 66% want state spending held flat or reduced in 2027
Independents remain undecided and less enthusiastic than either party’s base, leaving the race wide open.
Read the full results: reforminggovernment.org/irg-…
Chris Reader retweeted
🏆 We're honored to share that IRG's Court Watch has been named a finalist for the 2026 State Policy Network Communications Excellence Award for Innovation in Marketing.
Court Watch was built to make Wisconsin's judicial system more transparent by giving citizens an accessible way to understand court decisions and judicial performance.
If you're attending the 2026 SPN Annual Meeting, we'd be grateful for your vote. Voting is open now through July 8.
Thank you for supporting our work to make government more accountable. spn.tfaforms.net/5159111
Chris Reader retweeted
The Thesis — Inflation is a tax nobody voted for. No bill, no roll call, no name on it. For 5 years Wisconsin families paid it at the pump and the checkout — and a chunk quietly piled up in the state's treasury. You can repeal a tax. You can't repeal this one.
New CROWE report: crowe.wisc.edu/2026/06/30/th…
Chris Reader retweeted
🚨 NEWS: IRG, represented by the Wisconsin Transparency Project, is taking the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to court.
The lawsuit, venued in Adams County, asks the court to declare the secret meeting held in the Wisconsin Dells violated Wisconsin’s Open Meetings Law and to void any actions DPI took as a result of the conference committees’ “recommendations.”
reforminggovernment.org/irg-…
Chris Reader retweeted
Over half of Wisconsin employers say the state is on the "wrong track" as commercial property taxes rise. A new @WisconsinMC survey reveals 71% now back the complete elimination of the state income tax to restore competitive footing.
dairylandsentinel.com/wiscon…
Chris Reader retweeted
On yesterday's podcast episode, @MarkBellingShow covered our analysis of the new DPI report that shows Wisconsin schools have broken an all-time staffing record.
Listen to the full segment here: iheart.com/podcast/1248-the-…
Chris Reader retweeted
Teacher pay is down and referenda are up, in part, because schools have added staff while losing students.
School boards and parents must realize no one is served well by the status quo: not students, not teachers, and not taxpayers.
thecentersquare.com/wisconsi…
Chris Reader retweeted
Are you wondering why so many public school districts across Wisconsin have been asking local taxpayers for additional funding through referendums?
A bombshell report from the Institute for Reforming Government explains the main reason behind this.
According to the IRG analysis, Wisconsin public schools now employ one adult for every seven students, breaking the all-time ratio record. Simply put, we are educating fewer pupils with more staff, and many of those new hires are not teachers.
From 2010 to 2025, Wisconsin public schools lost 65,381 students while adding 973 teachers and 11,108 non-instructors.
If you would like to know how this is impacting local taxpayers, please check out the IRG report by clicking below: reforminggovernment.org/irg-…
@ReformingGovt @WisSenGOP
Chris Reader retweeted
🚨NEW POLL: Seven in ten Wisconsin voters say the state is in a cost-of-living crisis, three-quarters say their income has fallen behind inflation, and 42% name inflation and cost of living as the single most important issue heading into November’s governor’s race.
Affordability dwarfs every other concern, according to an April 10–14 survey of 800 registered voters by RMG Research for @ReformingGovt and Napolitan News Service, but the poll’s deeper numbers show a candidate of either party could win by owning a credible affordability agenda.
reforminggovernment.org/irg-… (1/5)
Chris Reader retweeted
A new poll from the Institute for @ReformingGovt shows that what voters want most are lower taxes and dramatically reduced spending, which presents a clear opportunity for Republicans this fall. heartlandpost.com/new-irg-po…
Chris Reader retweeted
Whitewater, Wisconsin is a college town of about 15,000 people. Over roughly two years, about 1,000 migrants settled there. Local police, schools, and city officials absorbed the strain with little outside support and no coordination from state or federal government.
The Institute for Reforming Government built the public record of what actually happened.
That record eventually reached Congress.
spn.org/irg-research-changed…
Chris Reader retweeted
Parents and taxpayers deserve transparency.
That’s why we held an oversight hearing to get answers from DPI. But instead of accountability, officials dodged questions—and State Superintendent Jill Underly was nowhere to be found after being invited to testify.
Parents deserve transparency when it comes to their child’s education.