ASSESSOR/REAL ESTATE ANALYST ROCCO VITA TESTIFYING IN SUPPORT OF PROPERTY TAX FAIRNESS
June
29, 2017 - Rocco Vita, Assessor/Real Estate Analyst for the Village of
Pleasant Prairie, is testifying today in support of legislation that
would close the Dark Store Loophole and bring fairness back to the
property tax system. The Village of Pleasant Prairie is joining city,
village and county leaders from across Wisconsin who share concern about
a potential shift in property taxes to residential property owners as
well as most other taxpayers if the proposed legislation is not enacted.
"This proposed legislation is an important step to bringing
fairness back to Wisconsin's property tax process in communities
throughout Wisconsin," stated Vita. "These proposals are intended to
stop the continued property tax shift from nationally owned or operated
commercial properties to everyone else. Without this legislation,
residential property owners, locally owned businesses, and manufacturers
will pay an even larger portion of the total property tax."
According
to the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, residential property
taxpayers pay 68% of the property tax statewide. Without this
legislation, homeowners and most other taxpayers will pick up more of
the property tax burden as large, national retailers take advantage of
the loophole.
The Assembly Ways and Means Committee will hear
testimony on Assembly Bill 386, the Dark Store Bill, and on Assembly
Bill 387, reversing the Walgreens v. City of Madison decision. Both
bills close loopholes that some large retailers have been taking
advantage of to significantly lower their property tax assessments.
State Representative Rob Brooks, (R-Saukville) is the Assembly author of
both bills. Senator Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) is the Senate author of
the Dark Store bill and Senator Roger Roth (R-Appleton) is the author
of the Walgreens reversal bill.