New Policy Saves Wisconsinites $178 million over the next two years
MADISON, WI…Wisconsin families are poised to receive a financial boost today as the state’s sales and use tax on residential electricity and natural gas officially comes to an end.
“As Americans continue to deal with high food, energy and housing prices, the elimination of the residential gas and electricity sales and use tax provides much needed relief to Wisconsin working families,” said Senator André Jacque (New Franken).
In recent years, Wisconsin has experienced some of the highest residential energy rates in the Midwest and nationally. According to the 2022 Wisconsin Public Service Commission’s Strategic Energy Assessment, Wisconsin ranked highest of the eight Midwestern states in energy costs.
The plan to eliminate the state’s sales and use tax on utilities in residential households was championed by Jacque during the last several legislative sessions, including 2023 Senate Bill 22, and 2019 Senate Bill 128. Following a budget request made to the Joint Committee on Finance by Senator Jacque earlier this year, the proposal to eliminate the sales and use tax was included in the final budget deal signed by Governor Tony Evers in July.
“Early this session, I was encouraged by the governor’s openness to allowing working-class families to keep more of their own hard-earned money in their pockets and to lower energy costs when he indicated support for my proposal,” said Jacque. “I was also pleased to work with my colleagues in the State Legislature in a bi-partisan manner to have the policy included in the state budget signed into law.”
Senator André Jacque represents Northeast Wisconsin’s First Senate District, consisting of Door, Kewaunee and Calumet Counties and portions of Brown, Calumet, Manitowoc, and Outagamie counties.
