Expert says La Crosse County doesn’t qualify for “tourism tax” to pay for roads

PRAT is .5% sales tax on most goods in county 

If La Crosse County is allowed to charge a Premier Resort Area Tax to raise money for road repairs, it won’t get to decide which businesses will be taxed.

Todd Berry of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance says, since La Crosse doesn’t qualify for that special tax now, it has little sway over the state law regulating the tax.

“So, if it were going to do it, it needs approval of the governor and the legislature,” Berry said on WIZM on Thursday. “Then that kicks in the application of the state law.” 

The PRAT would be a .5-percent sales tax on most goods sold in La Crosse County but Berry says the county is not considered a tourism magnet like other parts of the state.

“The state law says you have to have 40 percent of your property value in tourist related property and La Crosse doesn’t meet that test,” Berry said.

Berry spoke at a Chamber of Commerce forum in La Crosse this week, arguing that the PRAT would not be a good way for the county to increase road funding.

Ironically, Berry believes a wheel tax, added onto vehicle registration fees, might work, even though county leaders gave up on that idea.

“When the state sends out its renewal form, if you’re in a city or county that has that, you pay that extra amount and the state sends that out to a locality,” Berry explained.