Contact: Nick Novak, 608.258.3400
Madison, Wisconsin – Potential legislation is currently being discussed in Madison that could dramatically change how property is valued in Wisconsin. This so-called “dark store” legislation would make it easier for property tax assessors to include other variables – outside of property size, location and structures – to determine the value of a building.
In fact, some overly-aggressive assessors have already tried doing this with larger retail stores, leading to massive tax increases. In some cases, retailers saw their property tax bill increase by over 500 percent! Luckily, the courts have been on the side of property taxpayers and have overturned many of these unwarranted increases.
Legislation being discussed would fly in the face of current law, overruling what the courts have said. This could dramatically increase the cost to do business in Wisconsin, but it could also have unintended consequences for all property owners. While the attention has focused on the retail sector, it could set a precedent to raise property taxes on all types of property in Wisconsin. That is why WMC is strongly advocating against this “dark store” legislation.
“While Wisconsin has been moving forward with numerous pro-growth and pro-business policies in the recent past, potential ‘dark store’ legislation being discussed in Madison would be a black mark on that record,” said Jason Culotta, WMC Senior Director of Government Relations.
WMC released the latest episode of its Two-Minute Drill series – which seeks to educate its members and the public about important policy items – on Monday in an effort to further explain why “dark store” legislation would be bad for Wisconsin’s business climate.
