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Action on Public Room Tax Reports
October 12, 2017
Dear WH&LA Lodging Member:
As we advised back in May, all municipalities with a Room Tax in 2016 were required by statute to file an online report with the state Department of Revenue (DOR) outlining what they collected in Room Tax, how much goes to Tourism Promotion and Tourism Development (TP&TD) per state law, who oversees the TP&TD expenditures, and more.
Since then, WH&LA has spot-checked a few of the over 330 reports and found a few with potential improper following of the room tax law.
A WH&LA Room Tax Use Task Force, consisting of 6 of our Lodging Board Members, has been activated to determine how we can best take action with the limited resources we currently have to dedicate to these challenges. Here is their Plan:
- Each lodging member is asked to look at the report filed online for their municipality to see if they appear to be acting in compliance. To find your municipality's report go to https://ww2.revenue.wi.gov/VaultPublic/publish/rt/report.html and enter your municipality name or scroll down alphabetically. If you find a significant action that appears to be illegal, send an email noting details on the apparent illegal activity to Pugal@wisconsinlodging.org. Your name and property will not be made public. Should you wish to reference a number of our Room Tax resources before you make your determination, go to www.wisconsinlodging.org/roomtax.
- Each reported infraction will be evaluated more fully by WH&LA, in the order received. Please keep in mind that each review can take hours to track down the details and analyze, so this will take time to accomplish.
- If the alleged action appears to be illegal, WH&LA will send a Certified Letter to the Mayor and Council President asking for further clarification on the alleged improper action asking for a response within 30 days. We will then review what was returned from the municipality to see if there is cause for further action.
- The WH&LA Task Force will determine if any of the reports submitted warrant further more significant action based on severity and precedence of the infraction.
In the interim, the WH&LA is continuing to accept donations (which can be anonymous) to grow our Legal Defense Fund, a separate fund targeted for protecting the legal use of Room Tax. A Legal Defense Fund Donation Form has been created for those in a position to support this effort.
Best,
Trisha
Trisha A. Pugal, CAE
President, CEO
Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association
262-782-2851
If you haven't registered yet for the Conference, simply visit
www.wisconsinlodging.org/conference for more information and registration information. Please note that time is running out for the early discount rates! Also, the room block at the Potawatomi Hotel expires this Friday, Oct. 13, so be sure to reserve your room now by calling 1-800-729-7244 and refer to group code WHL110520174!
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