For Immediate Release Contact: Sen. Hansen
May 15, 2019 608-266-5670
(Madison)—State Senator Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) said Republicans continue to show the public whose side they’re on in a battle between Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and homeowners after a Senate Republicans again refused to vote to close the Dark Stores loophole.
“Anyone following this issue knows that the longer it takes to close the Dark Stores loophole the higher homeowner’s property taxes will go,” said Hansen. “But the Republicans in the Legislature continue to play games telling the public they support closing the loophole when they’re back home but voting against any efforts to actually do something to protect homeowners when they’re in Madison.”
Senate Republicans used a procedural move to once again prevent legislation to close the loophole from being voted on.–the same procedural move they used to kill similar legislation last session. Despite siding with WMC to keep the loophole in place, Republicans then campaigned promising to close the loophole if they were elected, only to break their promise yet again.
“This is the same trick they used last session to block a vote on similar legislation despite both bills having significant numbers of both parties signed on as sponsors of the bills. It is another Republican bait-and-switch. Promise the people one thing but continue to do the bidding of WMC and the corporate big box stores that are trying to shift their property taxes onto homeowners.”
“Every day they stall and delay, more and more homeowners are at risk of seeing their property tax bills increase. Meanwhile, WMC, corporate retailers and their CEOs make out like bandits.”