Wisconsin sales tax system scores high nationally

The Council on State Taxation’s (COST) 2022 Sales Tax Scorecard ranked Wisconsin as one of the top four state sales tax systems in the nation.

The COST scorecard found Wisconsin has fair sales tax processes and surpasses all states scoring the only A grade on fair audit and refund procedures. COST’s analysis pointed to Wisconsin’s national membership in the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SSUTA) and noted the state scored high on parts related to membership in SSUTA.

A breakdown of Wisconsin’s scorecard found top grades in the fair audit and refund procedures and fair sales tax processes categories.

The COST scorecard’s goal is to provide a nationwide perspective for legislators and executive branch officials on the best state sales tax administrative practices, and to provide a comparative measure of the fairness and efficiency of their current administrative practices to that of other state sales tax systems.

Wisconsin joined fellow Midwest states Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio as the top-ranked sales tax systems in the nation.