Wisconsin Supreme Court to Assess Legality of Brown County Sales Tax

Wisconsin Supreme Court to Assess Legality of Brown County Sales Tax
Accepts certification from Wisconsin Court of Appeals

Green Bay, WI – (April 28, 2021) – The Wisconsin Supreme Court announced it would grant review (Case 2020AP940) of a lawsuit championed by the Brown County Taxpayers Association arguing that Brown County violated state law in adopting its sales tax.  BCTA has maintained that by using its tax to pay for a slate of new spending projects the County failed to impose the tax “only for the purpose of directly reducing the property tax levy” as mandated by Wis. Stat. s. 77.70.  The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ordered additional briefing and will set oral argument for a future date.

The lawsuit, litigated on behalf of BCTA by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, was filed in 2018 shortly after the County adopted a 0.5% sales and use tax expected to raise $147,000,000 dollars over its six year duration. Although the County prevailed at the circuit court level in March of 2020, BCTA appealed the decision to the Court of Appeals, which in turn asked the state’s high court to take up the case.

BCTA President Rich Heidel said, “We are pleased the Supreme Court has agreed to issue a definitive ruling as to the legality of Brown County’s sales tax.  The County should be held accountable for disregarding state law.”

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The Brown County Taxpayers Association is a local group working to bring information
and awareness to issues that affect tax policy or impose regulatory burdens. Promoting fiscal responsibility in government, since 1986.

Learn more about the Brown County Taxpayers Association at www.BCTaxPayers.com

For more information, contact:
Richard Heidel | President of BCTA
TaxPayers@BCTaxPayers.com | 920-655-3107