Green Bay's Rep. Staush Gruszynski says plan would restore fairness to the property tax assessments.

MADISON – State Representative Staush Gruszynski (D-Green Bay) offered the following remarks after Governor Tony Evers announced his plan to close the dark store loophole in the 2019-2020 biennial budget. The dark store loophole allows corporate big box retailers to base their tax assessments for operating stores on the value of vacant stores, reducing their property tax assessments and shifting the tax burden to residential homeowners and local small businesses.

“Like the majority of my constituents, I strongly support closing the dark store loophole to restore fairness to the property tax assessment process in Wisconsin. 75% of voters in Brown County voted in support of closing the loophole on the November 2018 ballot because they know that it’s unfair to allow corporate retailers to dump the property tax burden on homeowners and small businesses by misrepresenting the value of their own properties. I am proud to stand with my constituents and hardworking taxpayers across Wisconsin. I look forward to working with Governor Evers to put Wisconsin families first with a more equitable tax code.” Gruszynski said.

Huge win for homeowners and small businesses in Wisconsin predicted.

MADISON, WI – All across Wisconsin, large corporate retailers have taken advantage of the Dark Store tax loophole that allows them to shift their property tax liability onto homeowners and small businesses. In an effort to ensure tax fairness for working families and seniors, Governor Evers has announced that the 2019-2021 budget will include a provision to close this loophole.

Senate Democratic Leader Jennifer Shilling released the following statement after Gov. Evers announcement:

“Closing the Dark Store loophole will be a huge win for homeowners and small businesses in Wisconsin. This issue is impacting municipalities of all sizes across the state and it’s one of the reasons we saw a jump in property taxes last year. Given the overwhelming public support for closing this loophole, it’s clear that Gov. Evers is listening to the people of Wisconsin and connecting the dots as he drafts the state budget. Senate Democrats welcome this new era of restoring tax fairness and protecting Wisconsin communities, seniors and working families.”