MILWAUKEE – Today, David Crowley released a new ad highlighting his plan to repeal Wisconsin’s Minimum Markup Law on motor vehicle fuel, a 1939 statute that requires gas stations to charge at least 9.18% above wholesale cost.
“The price of gas is too high, and every family in the state knows it,” Crowley said. “With the economic chaos coming out of Washington driving up costs, Wisconsinites are begging for relief, and we have a responsibility to find every opportunity to provide relief here at home. Wisconsin’s mandatory gas markup is an outdated law that forces drivers to pay more at the pump, even when families are already struggling with higher prices. My plan will eliminate that unnecessary cost while protecting small, independent gas stations, because the government should be helping families make ends meet, not making life more expensive.”
Crowley emphasized that his plan listens to the needs of Wisconsinites without reducing funding for road repairs or transportation projects. Because Wisconsin’s gas tax is charged as a fixed amount per gallon rather than a percentage of the sale price, eliminating the state’s minimum markup would not reduce a single dollar of transportation revenue.
“The choice here is simple,” Crowley said. “We can keep doing things the same way and ignore the families getting squeezed by high prices at the pump, or we can provide real relief without jeopardizing road infrastructure funding. I’ll always choose to help Wisconsin families.”
As Governor, David Crowley will work with the Legislature to:
1. Fully repeal the minimum markup requirement on motor vehicle fuel, both gasoline and diesel, under Wisconsin’s Unfair Sales Act.
2. Enact anti-predatory pricing protections for independent and small fuel retailers, making it unlawful for chains with more than 50 retail fuel locations in Wisconsin to sell below documented wholesale cost to drive competitors out of the market.
3. Strengthen the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection’s authority to investigate predatory pricing complaints from independent fuel retailers on an expedited basis.
