SURPRISING STUFF
The coming referendum with respect to whether there will be an application for new premier resort area tax (referred to as PRAT).
The Premier Resort Area Tax referendum question is to be offered as a referendum on the April 3, 2023, spring election ballot in Lake Geneva. Lake Geneva is a tourist city and a popular one at that. Why has PRAT not been implemented sooner? There are requirements and guidelines to meet before approval at the state level can be granted. Alderperson Hedlund has been pushing for the PRAT for some time with little support. Well, support has finally shown up.
The city council met last week and discussed the Premier Resort Area Tax and decided to take the first steps. The PRAT will be added as a referendum question on the spring ballot and the city hopes the tax will be received well by the public. The main problem is that most people don’t know what it is or its pros and cons. Council members believe it will be a great benefit to the city and its residents but it also needs to be marketed aggressively. This is tricky as the city needs to get the information out there and stay as neutral as possible at the same time.
Premier Resort Area Tax is a retail sales tax authorized by Wisconsin State Legislature. It requires businesses in the tourist industry to collect an additional tax. Some tourist communities with a PRAT have exempted locals from having to pay this tax, which is generally a half cent a dollar. The tax collected is then used to share (mostly visitors) contributions in the expense of maintaining local infrastructure and the cost of municipal services for everyone. Lake Geneva is a tourist community, and has been since its beginning, so it’s surprising to some that this very needful tax has not been implemented sooner. The monies collected by the PRAT in other tourist communities has allowed those communities to offer free parking and other amenities to the public as the need for more revenue in other areas is lessened as it affects the overall budget.
The Lake Geneva City Council has voted to start the process of enacting this tax by placing an advisory referendum asking residents if the city should petition the Wisconsin State Assembly concerning the adoption of a Premier Resort Area Tax. This is not a quick process and has a lot of steps to be successfully accomplished, but the ball is finally rolling.
Place of the Week
People! This place has the only and best people anywhere. Try it. Williams Bay.
