Tax 11.50 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, January, 1978, No. 265, eff. 2-1-78; am. (3) (e), Register, December, 1983, No. 336, eff. 1-1-84; am. (4) (d) 3., Register, April, 1985, No. 352, eff. 5-1-85; am. (4) (d) 3., Register, December, 1987, No. 384, eff. 1-1-88; am. (2), (3) (a), (b), (c), (d) and (h) and (4) (a) (intro.), 1. (intro.), a. and 2. and (d) (intro.), 1. and 2., r. (4) (d) 3., renum. (4) (c) to be (3) (i), Register, June, 1991, No. 426, eff. 7-1-91; EmR0924: emerg. r. and recr. eff. 10-1-09; CR 09-090: r. and recr. Register May 2010 No. 653, eff. 6-1-10; CR 16-053: am. (4) (a) 1. a., (5) (title), cr. (5) (a) 7m. Register June 2018 No. 750, eff. 7-1-18; CR 19-112: am. (4) (a) 1. a., (5) (title), cr. (5) (a) 9. Register June 2020 No. 774, eff. 7-1-20. Tax 11.51(1)(a)(a) All sales of tangible personal property and items, property and goods under s. 77.52 (1) (b), (c), and (d), Stats., are taxable except when a specific exemption applies. One of the exemptions is for “food and food ingredients,” which generally exempts all food and food ingredients for human consumption, except candy, soft drinks, dietary supplements, and prepared food. This exemption also does not include many items normally available in grocery and food stores, such as soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, paper products, and detergents. Tax 11.51(1)(b)(b) “Food and food ingredients” is defined in s. 77.51 (3t), Stats., to mean a substance in liquid, concentrated, solid, frozen, dried, or dehydrated form, that is sold for ingestion, or for chewing, by humans and that is ingested or chewed for its taste or nutritional value. “Food and food ingredient” does not include alcoholic beverages or tobacco. Tax 11.51(1)(c)(c) The lists in sub. (2) shall serve as a guide to grocers to determine the kinds of items that are taxable and exempt. Tax 11.51(2)(a)(a) Taxable sales by grocers. Taxable sales include sales of the following items: Adhesive tape.
Air fresheners.
Albums.
Alcoholic beverages.
Almond bark.
Ammonia.
Anti-acid products.
Anti-freeze.
Appliances.
Ash trays.
Aspirin.
Auto supplies.
Baby needs, except food.
Bags of all kinds.
Bakeware.
Baking chips, sweetened.
Baking chocolate that contains a sweetener in the form of bars, drops, or pieces.
Barbecue supplies.
Baskets.
Batteries, except hearing aid batteries.
Beauty aids.
Beer.
Binders.
Bird food and supplies.
Bleach.
Blueing.
Bobby pins and rollers.
Books.
Bottled water, sweetened.
Bottles.
Bowl cleaner.
Breath mints, unless they contain flour.
Breath sprays and strips.
Brooms.
Brushes.
Bubble bath.
Butterscotch chips.
Cake decorations, non-edible.
Cake decorations that are candy.
Calcium tablets.
Cameras and supplies.
Can openers.
Candy.
Candy apples.
Canning and freezer supplies.
Caramel apples.
Caramel corn.
Cat food and supplies.
Cereal bars, unless they contain flour.
Charcoal and starter.
Chewing gum.
Chocolate chips and other flavored chips, if sweetened.
Chocolate covered potato chips, unless they contain flour.
Chocolate covered raisins and nuts.
Cigarette lighter fluid, wicks, flints.
Cigarettes.
Cigars.
Cleaning equipment and supplies.
Cleansers.
Clocks.
Clothes lines.
Clothespins.
Clothing.
Cocktail mixes containing 50% or less fruit or vegetable juice.
Cod liver oil.
Coffee drinks that contain sweeteners, unless it also contains milk or milk products.
Cold remedies.
Combs and brushes.
Confections that are candy.
Cough drops.
Crayons.
Deli items, as explained in sub. (3) (e) 2.
Dental aids.
Deodorants.
Deodorizers.
Detergents.
Diapers.
Dietary supplements.
Dinnerware.
Disinfectants.
Distilled spirits.
