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MILWAUKEE- Republican candidate for governor Mark Neumann announced a new property tax plan on Wednesday that has many people talking, including his opponents.

He says he will allow homeowners to avoid paying any property taxes in 2011. His opponents say it’s an empty promise.
 
Neumann says he will offer a voluntary, one-time only, one-year exemption from property taxes in 2011.
 
“This will be the largest tax cut ever proposed in the state of Wisconsin over a one year period of time,” Neumann said.
 
Most people pay their property taxes in escrow through a bank, and the city receives and spends the money the following year.
 
Neumann says under his plan, he will cut out the middleman and have homeowners directly give property taxes to cities in monthly installments.
 
He says because they are eliminating the usual one-year delay in cities receiving property taxes, homeowners can avoid paying any property taxes in 2011 without a financial impact on cities.
 
Neumann’s opponents say his plan isn’t a tax cut at all. They say it’s just a delayed payment.
 
“That doesn’t take away the tax burden. It actually just prohibits you from deducting your property tax bill on your income taxes for the federal level. For me, it doesn’t make a lot of sense,” said fellow Republican candidate for governor Scott Walker.
 
In a statement, Democratic candidate Tom Barrett’s communications director Phil Walzak said, “Mark Neumann claims he can lower taxes by playing a shell game with the payment schedule. Empty promises and phantom savings are exactly the gimmicks that caused this fiscal mess to begin with.”
 
But Neumann believes his plan will boost both his campaign and the economy.
 
“It jumpstarts our economy like nothing else could possibly do in the state of Wisconsin,” Neumann said.
 
Neumann’s plan would be voluntary, but he claims if everyone in Wisconsin signs up, it would save taxpayers $11 billion dollars. His opponents dispute that figure.