Governor Tony Evers says his state budget proposal will close the “dark store” loophole that lets companies assess property taxes using the value of an empty building instead of an operational store.
That’s good news for Janesville City Assessor Michelle Laube who says the loophole shifts the tax burden on to residential property owners.
Laube says the assessors office wants every property to be assessed fairly and not have the tax burden be based on a property owner’s ability to fight the assessment.
Laube and city staff pitched the issue to state legislators during Janesville’s legislative roundtable last month.
The state legislature considered a bill to close the loophole last session, but it never got a vote.
