Contact:  Eva Robelia, Communications Officer, 608-261-2271

MADISON — Thanks to a new initiative, starting today, businesses can electronically request the most common business permits — Seller’s, Withholding, Consumer’s and/or Use Tax — in one simple step with the creation of the Business Tax Registration (BTR) form, available on the Department of Revenue web site (www.dor.state.wi.us).  

“This is a fantastic example of Governor Doyle’s Grow Wisconsin plan to streamline government,” said Wisconsin Department of Revenue Secretary Michael L. Morgan.   “The old paper process took approximately 4 weeks to complete the request, whereas the new electronic service is able to complete the entire process within 5 to 7 days.” 

The normal purchase/processing fee of $20 will remain the same, but the turn around time to process and mail the permits is significantly reduced.  If a quicker turn around is needed, an expedited service is available for an additional $10.

The businessperson electronically checkmarks the permits he or she is interested in obtaining, fills out the required fields, hits submit, and a few days later, the requested permits arrive in the mail.   The system eliminates the need for mailing in several different forms to the Department or Revenue where a staff member would then key the information into the computer system.

In addition to speeding up the turn around time for permits, the new system allows the businessperson to manage the company’s permit account by updating mailing information, adding business locations, and adding tax permits.