— Tobacco users will be paying more to get their fix starting today as tax increases passed in the 2009-11 budget kick in. The state’s tax on a pack of cigarettes will jump 75 cents, going from $1.77 to $2.52. According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the tax increase is expected to generate an additional $152.8 million in 2009-10 and $155.2 million in 2010-11. Moist snuff, which had been taxed at $1.31 per ounce, will now be taxed at 100 percent of the manufacturer’s list price — meaning that if the manufacturer sells the product to retailers for $2, the state tax on the product will be $2. The tax on all other tobacco products is also going up, jumping from 50 percent of the manufacturer’s list price to 71 percent. The tax increases for non-cigarette tobacco products is expected to increase revenues by $12.8 million in 2009-10 and $14.6 million in 2010-11, according to LFB estimates. — On Oct. 1, two other tax increases will take effect. The 5 percent tax on digital goods is expected to collect $4.2 million in 2009-10 and $6.7 million in 2010-11, according to the LFB. Also on the books as of Oct. 1 is the streamline sales and use tax, also known as the Main Street Equity Act. It is expected to increase sales tax collections by an estimated $2 million in 2009-10 and $2.7 million in 2010-11, according to the LFB. — Twenty-five Wisconsin community-based organizations will share grants totaling $640,900 from the Community-Based Economic Development Program administered by the Department of Commerce. The largest grants are for $100,000 to ADVOCAP in Green Lake County to help Thill Logistics staff its new call center in Berlin and $85,000 to the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp. in Milwaukee to give loans to low-income, women, and minority entrepreneurs. See more loan details: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=168728 — Three Wisconsin manufacturing leaders recently were elected to the board of directors of the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership. The new board members are: Troy Berg, president of Dane Manufacturing Inc.; Tom Duffey, president of Plastics Components Inc.; and Tom Jacobson, vice president of operations for Bruno Independent Living Aids Inc. See more on the new board members: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=168723 *************************
David W. Hadley, vice president of state regulatory relations at Midwest ISO, is keynoting the forum, which will take place at The Madison Club. The event begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 9 a.m. with breakfast starting at 7:15 a.m. The event is presented by American Transmission Company and Xcel Energy. Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group is an event partner. Panelists for the event include: Additional sponsors include Dairyland Power Cooperative, Wisconsin Public Service Corp. and We Energies. More sponsorship opportunities are available; contact Jim Greer at 608-237-6296 or greer@wispolitics.com. The event is open to the public. General public tickets cost $10. The ticket price includes breakfast. TO REGISTER GO TO: http://www.esurveycentral.com/TakeSurvey.asp?SurveyID=5117l3337o6KG ************************* TOP EXPERTS TO DISCUSS WIS. GREEN JOBS FUTURE “Green Jobs: Growing Wisconsin Employment” is part of a series of forums at Discovery World and aims to assess Wisconsin’s future in the green jobs market. The forum, sponsored by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, UW-Milwaukee, We Energies, Wisconsin Environmental Initiative and Johnson Controls, begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 9 a.m. Breakfast begins at 7:15 a.m. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett will provide remarks about his city’s efforts to cultivate green jobs. Confirmed panelists include: The event is organized by WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com with the help of MMAC, Discovery World, and UW-Milwaukee. More sponsorship opportunities are available; contact Jim Greer at 608-237-6296 or greer@wispolitics.com. The event is open to the public, and the price is $30 per person. But WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com subscribers, members of the Wisconsin Academy, the UW-Milwaukee community, and members of MMAC and Discovery World are able to attend for $20 per person. The price includes the breakfast buffet but not parking. ************************* TOP STORIES
M&I to close Appleton office in November: Marshall & Ilsley Corp. said it will eliminate 154 jobs in Appleton when it closes an office there beginning Nov. 2. New Wisconsin phone fee starts Tuesday : A new 75-cent monthly fee for all cell phones, landlines or other devices capable of calling 911 starts Tuesday in Wisconsin. Wisconsin’s cigarette tax to go up 75 cents a pack on Tuesday: Wisconsin’s cigarette tax will go up 75 cents per pack on Tuesday, making it the fifth-highest tax in the country and the most expensive among neighboring states. WPS requests $28M in federal stimulus funds: Wisconsin Public Service Corp. is seeking $28 million in federal economic stimulus money to upgrade its systems. Mercury Marine, union set meeting to clarify recent voting: In a surprise turn of events Monday night, a Mercury Marine spokesman announced that officials from the company and the union’s IAM Midwest Territory will meet as soon as today to “bring clarity” to the confusion surrounding union voting at the Labor Center.
************************************************************ See commentary from around the state and columns from WisBusiness contributors Jennifer Sereno, Kevin McKinley, Tom Burzinski, Gregg Hoffmann, Tom Still and Steve Jagler: ************************************************************ TECHNOLOGY (back to top) – Nielsen: Milwaukee loses TV market households
BIOTECH (back to top)
ECONOMY (back to top) – Study fingers state for Milwaukee’s financial woes
MANUFACTURING (back to top) – Stillwater, Oklahoma, eager to get Mercury Marine jobs from Fond du Lac – Kansas City out of running for new Harley-Davidson plant
LABOR (back to top) – Temporary staffing on the rebound – West Allis proposal ties employee raises to city revenue – Zimmerman expects to expand workforce at Valley site
SMALL BUSINESS (back to top)
INVESTING (back to top)
REAL ESTATE (back to top) – Tower business park plan gets nod
AGRIBUSINESS (back to top)
RETAIL (back to top) – Favre leads NFL in jersey sales – Oshkosh Best Buy to open in October
TOURISM (back to top)
UTILITIES (back to top) – Doyle, Granholm to host clean energy forum
HEALTH CARE (back to top)
MANAGEMENT (back to top) – Associated hires commercial banking executive PRESS RELEASES (back to top) For these and more releases visit http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Content=82 |
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