Tax 11.33(4)(g) (g) Sales by nonprofit organizations meeting the requirements in s. 77.54 (7m), Stats.

Tax 11.33 Note Note: Refer to s. Tax 11.35 regarding the occasional sales exemption for nonprofit organizations.

Tax 11.33(5) (5) Sales which are not exempt occasional sales. Sales which are not exempt occasional sales, except as provided in sub. (4), include:

Tax 11.33(5)(a) (a) Sales by a person who holds or is required to hold a seller’s permit.

Tax 11.33 Note Example: Sales of used equipment by a retail store or vending machine retailer are not occasional sales and would be subject to sales or use tax.

Tax 11.33(5)(b) (b) Sales of a business or the assets of a business when the seller holds or is required to hold a seller’s permit. The tax applies to the portion of the sales price reasonably attributable to the taxable personal property such as equipment, furniture and fixtures.

Tax 11.33 Note Example: The sale by a sole proprietor holding a seller’s permit of a motor vehicle used in the sole proprietor’s business is taxable unless it qualifies as an exempt occasional sale under s. Tax 11.33 (4) (a) 1. or 2.

Tax 11.33(5)(c) (c) Sales of motor vehicles, aircraft, boats, recreational vehicles as defined in s. 340.01 (48r), Stats., snowmobiles, trailers, semitrailers, all-terrain vehicles, utility terrain vehicles, and off-highway motorcycles. Unless exempt, a use tax or sales tax pursuant to s. Tax 11.14 (2) (c) shall be paid by the purchaser at the time the motor vehicle, aircraft, boat, recreational vehicle as defined in s. 340.01 (48r), Stats., snowmobile, trailer, semitrailer, all-terrain vehicle, utility terrain vehicle, or off-highway motorcycle is registered or titled within Wisconsin.

Tax 11.33(5)(d) (d) Sales made by persons who hold themselves out to the public as engaged in business, even though their sales may be few and infrequent. This includes the sales of works of art, handmade articles, antiques or used property by artists or others who are pursuing a vocation or part-time business as a seller of this property.

Tax 11.33(5)(e) (e) Sales of bingo supplies to players or the sale, rental or use of regular bingo cards, extra regular cards and special bingo cards.

Tax 11.33(5)(f) (f) Sales by persons engaged primarily in the business of making nontaxable sales of tangible personal property or items, property, or goods under s. 77.52 (1) (b), (c), or (d), Stats., such as manufacturers and wholesalers. Since these persons are in the business of selling tangible personal property or items, property, or goods under s. 77.52 (1) (b), (c), or (d), Stats., the mere fact that only a small fraction of their total sales are taxable retail sales does not make these sales exempt occasional sales.

Tax 11.33 Note Note: Section Tax 11.33 interprets ss. 77.51 (9), 77.52 (1) and (2) (a) 2. and 77.54 (7) and (7m), Stats.

Tax 11.33 Note Note: The interpretations in s. Tax 11.33 are effective under the general sales and use tax law on and after September 1, 1969, except: (a) The exemption in sub. (3) (b) became effective March 1, 1979; (b) Non-retailer sales of all-terrain vehicles as described in sub. (4) (c) became taxable and the sale of an all-terrain vehicle as described in sub. (3) (c) and (d) became exempt effective September 1, 1987, pursuant to 1987 Wis. Act 27; (c) The exemption for the sale of a business or business assets in sub. (3) (e) became effective May 17, 1988, pursuant to 1987 Wis. Act 399; (d) The exemption for transfers of motor vehicles, boats, etc., to in-laws became effective August 15, 1991, pursuant to 1991 Wis. Act 39; (e) The occasional sales exemption for 5 or fewer auctions became effective January 1, 2000, pursuant to 1999 Wis. Act 9; (f) The term “mobile home” was changed to “recreational vehicle, as defined in s. 340.01 (48r), Stats.” effective January 1, 2008, pursuant to 2007 Wis. Act 11; (g) The change of the term “gross receipts” to “sales price” and the separate impositions of tax on coins and stamps sold above face value under s. 77.52 (1) (b), Stats., certain leased property affixed to real property under s. 77.52 (1) (c), Stats., and digital goods under s. 77.52 (1) (d), Stats., became effective October 1, 2009, pursuant to 2009 Wis. Act 2; and (h) The threshold for exempt occasional sales was changed to less than $2,000 in annual sales, effective for sales beginning January 1, 2018, pursuant to 2017 Wis. Act 59.

Tax 11.33 History History: Cr. Register, June, 1991, No. 426, eff. 7-1-91; am. (2), (4) (c) and (g), Register, April, 1993, No. 448, eff. 5-1-93; am. (4) (a) and (g), Register, August, 1999, No. 524, eff. 9-1-99; EmR0924: emerg. am. (2), (4) (a) to (d), (f), (g), (5) (b) to (d) and (f), eff. 10-1-09; CR 09-090: am. (2), (4) (a) to (d), (f), (g), (5) (b) to (d) and (f) Register May 2010 No. 653, eff. 6-1-10; CR 10-094: am. (4) (c) Register November 2010 No. 659, eff. 12-1-10; CR 12-014: r. and recr. (4), am. (5) (title), cr. (5) (b) (Example) Register August 2012 No. 680, eff. 9-1-12; CR 14-006: am. (4) (f) (Example 1) Register August 2014 No. 704, eff. 9-1-14; CR 16-053: am. (4) (a) (intro.), 3., (5) (c) Register June 2018 No. 750, eff. 7-1-18; CR 19-112: am. (4) (a) (intro.), 3., (5) (c) Register June 2020 No. 774, eff. 7-1-20; CR 20-018: am. (4) (f), (Example 1), (Example 2) Register July 2021 No. 787, eff. 8-1-21.

Tax 11.34 Tax 11.34 Occasional sales exemption for sale of a business or business assets.

Tax 11.34(1) (1) Scope. This section describes the exemption under s. 77.54 (7) (a), Stats., for the occasional sale of a business or business assets as described in s. 77.51 (9) (a) and (am), Stats.

Tax 11.34(2) (2) General.

Tax 11.34(2)(a) (a) The sale of business assets, consisting of tangible personal property or items, property, or goods under s. 77.52 (1) (b), (c), or (d), Stats., by a person who holds or is required to hold a seller’s permit at the time of the sale is subject to sales tax, except as provided in sub. (3) (c).

Tax 11.34(2)(b) (b) Except as provided in sub. (3) (c), the tax applies if the business assets are sold as:

Tax 11.34(2)(b)1. 1. A disposition of surplus assets of a continuing business.

Tax 11.34(2)(b)2. 2. A single transaction or series of transactions prior to termination of a business.

Tax 11.34(2)(b)3. 3. Piecemeal sales, whether part of a continuing business or prior to termination.

Tax 11.34(2)(c) (c) The tax does not apply to merchandise inventory sold to another retailer who purchases it for resale and sells it in the regular course of that retailer’s business.

Tax 11.34(3) (3) Effect of holding a seller’s permit.

Tax 11.34(3)(a) (a) Pursuant to s. 77.51 (9) (a) and (am), Stats., a person holding or required to hold a seller’s permit at the time of disposition of business assets may not claim that a sale of a business asset is an occasional sale, except as provided in par. (b).

Tax 11.34(3)(b) (b) A sale, other than a sale described in par. (bg) or (br), is exempt from sales and use tax as an occasional sale if all of the following conditions are met:

Tax 11.34(3)(b)1. 1. The sale is of personal property or items, property, or goods under s. 77.52 (1) (b), (c), or (d), Stats., other than inventory held for sale, previously used by a person to conduct a trade or business at a location.

Tax 11.34(3)(b)2. 2. The sale occurs after the person ceased actively operating in the regular course of business as a seller of tangible personal property, items, property, or goods under s. 77.52 (1) (b), (c), or (d), Stats., or taxable services at that location.

Tax 11.34(3)(bg) (bg) A sale of a motor vehicle, snowmobile, recreational vehicle as defined in s. 340.01 (48r), Stats., trailer, semitrailer, all-terrain vehicle, utility terrain vehicle, off-highway motorcycle, or aircraft that is registered or titled in Wisconsin or required to be registered or titled in Wisconsin, is subject to tax unless s. Tax 11.33 (4) (a) 1. or 2. apply.