Bill To End Miller Park Sales Tax Heads To Governor's Desk

MILWAUKEE, WI — After nearly 24 years and $600 million collected, the Wisconsin State Senate has officially set an end date for the 0.1 percent, five-county Miller Park tax.

On Tuesday, Wisconsin legislators passed a bill that officially prohibits the collection of the Miller Park tax beyond Aug. 31, 2020.

Since January 1, 1996, a 0.1 percent tax has been collected on all sales in Racine, Milwaukee,
Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties to pay for the construction and maintenance of
Miller Park.

In the 24 years it has been collected, taxpayers have paid nearly $600 million for Miller Park. Back in 1996, a Wisconsin state assemblyman from Racine was the legislator who cast the deciding vote to enact a five-county 0.1 percent sales tax to help support the construction and maintenance of Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The move cost Republican George Petak his job after he lost a recall election to Democratic State Rep. Kim Plache. The election earned Petak a dubious place in state political history after he became the first Wisconsin state legislator to be removed from office in a recall election.

State Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) says that "in the last couple of months, local governments and interest groups have been quietly pushing to extend, or repurpose the tax for another purpose."

The bill now goes to Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, for his signature. The stadium district board has stated publicly its intention to certify the end of the tax in March, 2020, Wanggaard said. Any excess revenue collected before the end of the tax will be redistributed to the five counties on a per-capita basis.

“There is a never-ending desire for taxpayer dollars for pet projects. We have to end this tax now, so that it is not taken for another purpose. It is past time to end this tax, once and for all. Today, the Legislature did just that," he said.