Good news! The WRA, along with other associations representing retailers, successfully advocated for an increase in the Sales Tax Retailer’s Allowance – which increases the amount paid to retailers for administration of sales and excise tax. The increase was included in the 2023-2025 state budget signed the first week in July.
 
Here's some background on the issue. In Wisconsin, all retailers collect sales taxes from the public on behalf of state and local governments. Currently they are provided a “retailer’s allowance” of .5 percent of the taxes they collect - capped at $1,000 per filing period - as compensation for the costs they incur in collecting the tax.
 
As of October 1, retailers will now be able to retain .75 percent of the taxes they collect, and the total amount per filing period is now capped at $8,000. 

What This Means for Restaurants
While it doesn't take out the sting completely of having to pay credit card fees on government taxes collected, it is a big improvement and will mean more money that restaurants don't have to pay out. 
 
Like the repeal of the Personal Property Tax, WRA worked hard lobbying in the Capitol to secure financial relief for all restaurant businesses, especially as inflation and ramifications from the pandemic continue to make it harder to stay in business.

Questions? Contact Susan Quam

​Effective in the 2024 tax year, businesses will no longer pay their local municipalities personal property taxes (PPT) on equipment, fixtures and furnishings. Included in the massive Local Shared Revenue Bill recently brokered between Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Governor Tony Evers, the PPT was officially repealed when the Governor signed the bill on June 20, 2023.
 
The WRA has advocated for PPT relief/repeal for 20-plus years and played a major role in the past decade to get the law repealed. Many WRA members have testified at legislative committee hearings and made office visits with their legislators, telling their story on how onerous the PPT is and how negatively it effected their business. We thank all of our members who helped get the message across and contributed to this repeal.

The repeal will save Wisconsin businesses over 200 million dollars in 2024. The WRA joined forces with over 50 other business organizations to get the repeal completed. 
 
Keep in mind, Wisconsin businesses will still have to pay their 2023 PPT bill in early 2024, since the “backfill” to make municipalities whole does not take effect until the 2024 tax year.
 
Questions? Contact us.

ServSafe is the premier provider of materials and programs specifically for the restaurant industry and is accredited by ANSI and the Conference for Food Protection. For the past 30 years, ServSafe has been an industry leading program dedicated to protecting restaurant professionals, customers, and communities from foodborne illness.
 
The Wisconsin Restaurant Association Education Foundation’s (WRAEF) mission is to support industry education and training programs. Here in Wisconsin, ServSafe is administered by the WRAEF with 100% of the net proceeds going directly towards workforce development efforts.
 
ServSafe training keeps customers safe:

• ServSafe food safety training prevents foodborne illness in Wisconsin restaurants.
• ServSafe certification ensures that restaurant employees follow best practices for food safety and sanitation.
• The Wisconsin Restaurant Association takes food safety very seriously—in fact the Association was founded with the purpose of reducing the incidence of foodborne illness in our state. 

ServSafe training is an investment in employees:

• Employees gain critical food safety knowledge from ServSafe training.
• The ServSafe credential is earned by the employee and remains with them wherever they choose to work.
• A vast majority of employers pay for their employees ServSafe training, rarely does an employee pay for their own certification.

The Suite of ServSafe programs include:

• ServSafe Manager,
• ServSafe Food Handler,
• ServSafe Alcohol,
• ServSafe Allergens, and
• ServSafe Workplace which includes courses for workplace conduct and safety for both managers and employees.

​We encourage you to consider these training opportunities for yourself and your staff. For more information about these programs go to: wirestaurant.org/servsafe

WRA Annual Meeting
Monday, February 6th, 2023 at 9:00 am
Virtually streaming from the Concourse Hotel, Madison

Information on how to connect remotely to the annual meeting will be posted in mid-January.

Click here to find the agenda, 2022 minutes and a proxy form link if you are unable to attend and would like a WRA representative to cast your vote for you.

If you will not be attending, please click here to send back the proxy notice.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call your WRA office at 800.589.3211.