Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson speaks at a rally with supporters Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, in Waukesha, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson (R) and his reelection campaign continuously try to hammer rival Mandela Barnes (D) for delinquent property tax payments. But a report this week found that Johnson has avoided paying millions in state tax on a trust fund since 2015.

The Madison-area news station WKOW published Monday that a family trust fund that Johnson set up in 2011 and was paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in state tax annually beforehand is now a tax credit. He has not paid a single cent in state tax on the fund since 2016 — and it is fully legal under a tax credit that benefits the wealthy.

Then-Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) enacted the Manufacturing and Agriculture Tax Credit in 2011 to benefit those industries. As the percentage of manufacturing and agricultural activities scaled up since it went into effect in 2013, the trust fund of the former manufacturing CEO qualified for the credit in 2016 — the first year Johnson did not pay state tax on the fund.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in 2011 that Johnson used the family trust fund to buy a seven-figure house in Washington D.C.

As the senator tries to pitch himself to voters as a tough-love fiscal conservative that isn’t afraid to propose controversial government spending cuts, he’s also one of the Senate’s biggest opponents of taxing the wealthy. He personally stonewalled President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cut until his provision to lower taxes on “pass-through” companies even more was passed. ProPublica found in Aug. 2021 that despite Johnson’s insistence that it favors small businesses, the provision saved large corporations up to $215 million in tax deductions — coincidentally, benefitting Johnson’s biggest donors.

Those donors appear to be giving their thanks through donations to political action committees supporting Johnson. Billionaire Diane Hendricks, chairwoman of the ABC Supply corporation, donated $3.3 million to a pro-Johnson PAC just this month, Federal Election Commission records show.

When confronted by WKOW reporter A.J. Bayatpour about the senator avoiding paying state tax on the trust fund, Johnson campaign advisor Ben Voelkel deflected to Barnes’ late property tax payments.

“Unable to defend Mandela Barnes’ record of tax delinquency, his campaign is now shamefully attacking Senator Johnson’s family,” Voelkel wrote to Bayatpour. “Any business or tax entity that Senator Johnson has ever been associated with always has, and always will, comply with all applicable tax laws.”

The Wisconsin Democratic Party sees it as Johnson taking advantage of tax laws created by and for the wealthy (OpenSecrets estimates Johnson was worth $39 million in 2018.)

“While Ron Johnson takes advantage of tax loopholes designed for the ultra-wealthy like himself, he’s working overtime to put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block,” said Grace O’Neill, a spokesperson for the party. “Wisconsinites are done with Johnson’s out-of-touch and self-serving agenda and will vote him out of office on November 8th.”

Johnson’s lead in the race against Barnes, the state’s lieutenant governor, continues to creep in the senator’s favor. He currently leads Barnes by 3.3 percentage points, according to RealClearPolitics’ polling average.