Northern Wisconsin leaders lobbied the Wisconsin Department of Revenue on Tuesday to restore a tax reciprocity agreement with Minnesota that ended almost a decade ago. The state’s new Department of Revenue Secretary-designee Peter Barca is hopeful a deal can be reached to save Wisconsin residents money.
The agreement ended Jan. 1, 2010, impacting around 80,000 people in the two states. The deal that had been in place for more than 40 years allowed people living in one state and working in another to file just one income tax form in their home state. Minnesota and Wisconsin would then resolve payments at a later date.
“Minnesota feels like why should we have to end up suffering a financial loss in order to help the people of Wisconsin,” Barca said.
A deal would mean that Wisconsin would pay around $106 million a year to Minnesota because the Badger State has more residents working across the border, Barca said.
Barca said Wisconsin has submitted another proposal to Minnesota, noting he’s spoken with his Minnesota counterpart, Minnesota DOR Commissioner Cynthia Bauerly.
“She said she would take a fresh look at it, and our goal, of course, would be to have obviously (an agreement) for the 2020 tax season,” Barca said. “We would have until early fall to get it done.”
Barca said their proposal would include making quarterly payments to Minnesota to offset around $158 million in revenues the state would give up under an agreement.
A spokesman with the Minnesota DOR said they would consider any future proposals and whether they are in the best interest of Minnesota.