Andrew Bohage with the Wisconsin Lottery says efforts are underway to freshen up Powerball. Those will include increasing the minimum jackpot to $40 million and improving the odds of winning for players.

In order to do that though, Bohage says a price increase for tickets will be needed. Starting January 15th, single ticket prices will double to $2.

Bohage says more money coming into the game means better benefits for taxpayers. Proceeds from Powerball sales go toward property tax relief.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (:58)

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) says the measure is likely to pass, even though he does not support how it’s being handled.

The Oshkosh Republican says Social Security is already underfunded and extending the tax cut will not help. Although, Johnson says he’s “also not in favor of increasing taxes.”

Continuing the cut means the government will continue to pay out more in benefits that it is currently collecting, which Johnson says is not going to change until the system is reformed.

AUDIO: Sen. Ron Johnson (:18)

The Oshkosh Republican says the road to compromise will not be pretty. He remains certain though that there will be a consensus. Johnson says Congress does not want to increase taxes on Americans right now.

Rick Schuh, WHBY

IRS spokesman Christopher Miller says most of the money is from refund checks the agency has been unable to deliver, usually because the mailing address was wrong. If that happens, Miller says the checks come back as undeliverable.

Miller says taxpayers who never received those checks can get them by going online to the IRS website and clicking on the “where’s my refund” link or by calling 1-800-829-1954. Taxpayers should have a copy of their taxes handy because you will need to know the amount of your anticipated refund.

Miller says taxpayers can avoid having their refund checks delayed in the future by filing their taxes electronically and selecting direct deposit.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:14)

Officials with the landfill, located near the Town of Paris, says there has been a 76-percent drop in the amount of solid waste coming into the landfill from Illinois. As a result, revenues have dropped sharply and now Waste Management, the operator, is hoping to work out new tax deals with local officials.

Waste Management recently asked to renegotiate an agreement with Kenosha County for payments that are largely used to defer property taxes for area residents. Waste Management pay 68-cents per ton dumped in the landfill, along with a $250,000 gift to the county. The County has approved a new deal that keeps the 68-cent fee, but drops the gift to $75,000 and makes other concessions.

County Supervisor Joe Clark says, without that help, Waste Management may not be able to stay in business.

AUDIO: Supervisor Joe Clark (:09)

The company is still seeking a new agreement with officials in Paris, where it pays substantially higher fees to offset local property taxes.

Janet Hoff, WRJN

About 80-percent of Wisconsinites filed their state income tax returns electronically last year. State Department of Revenue spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis says the growing popularity of e-file means the agency can save some money this year by printing fewer paper forms.

Starting next year, the department will no longer automatically mail out forms to taxpayers, even if they filed a paper return last time. Marquis says individuals who still would like a hard copy of the forms will need to contact the Department or go to a local library. However, the agency will also be reducing the number of forms sent to local libraries by 25-percent as well.

Homestead tax credit forms for those over 60 will still be mailed out, if they filed on paper last year.

Marquis says the changes should save the state over $106,000 annually.

Residents who still want paper forms can request them after January first.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:07)

The Department in September sent letters to roll your own businesses across the state informing them that their services count as selling manufactured cigarettes, so they need to collect the full taxes on the products and also get the necessary permits and certifications from the state. Several retailers filed suit against the action, claiming they are exempt because it’s the customers making the cigarettes.

Kurt Kruchten, who runs “Smokes-4-Less” in Slinger, says the stores are offering a valuable option for consumers and the businesses are not the same as buying a pack of cigarettes from the store.

AUDIO: Kurt Kruchten (:14)

A spokesperson with the Department of Revenue says the agency is disappointed with the court’s decision, but remains dedicated to enforcing the state’s tobacco laws and regulations fairly and equitably.

WIBA’s John Colbert contributed to this report.

Kurt Kruchten owns a business called “Smokes for Less” in Slinger, northwest of Milwaukee. He says the agency is wrong in its claim that the outlets are manufacturing cigarettes and tobacco products. Kruchten says it’s the customers who make the smokes and they just use a machine that’s owned by the store.

The Revenue Department estimates there are 100 or more of the outlets in the state, and claims they are currently in violation of tax codes. The Department sent out notices last month after receiving complaints from other cigarette retailers.

AUDIO: John Colbert reports (:36)

“This constitutional amendment would amend the uniformity clause to allow some flexibility for these two communities,” said Curt Witynski with the League of Municipalities. The change would allow municipalities to blend their tax rates together, allowing up to twelve years for that to happen. “Ideally the higher one will be reduced a little bit, and the lower community will be increased a little bit,” Witynski said.

The amendment must pass two consecutive sessions of the legislature and a statewide referendum. It passed the state Assembly in the last session of the legislature but failed to advance in the Senate. Zepnick and Witynski testified Tuesday before the Assembly Committee on Urban and Local Affairs.

AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (:60)

Customers put loose tobacco in the machines, which then use cartridges to produce cigarettes. The retailers argue they are not subject to the same taxes that are applied to a pack bought at the store because it’s the customer making the cigarettes. The perceived loophole results in prices that don’t include the $2.52 per pack other retailers are forced to collect.

Stephanie Marquis with the state Department of Revenue says state laws indicate that who makes the cigarettes does not matter, if they are being manufactured in a store then state taxes apply. She says the notices direct the retailers to obtain the proper permits and certifications required to sell tobacco in Wisconsin, and to also put tax stamps on the products they are selling.

Marquis says DOR is currently focused on making the retailers aware of their legal obligations and to also gather a record of exactly where the machines are use. The agency estimates anywhere from 50 to 100 of the rolling machines are in operation, which is based largely on online searches for companies that offer the service.

DOR is also encouraging the public to report retailers who have the machines by contacting the agency’s Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement Unit.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:20)

Residential properties were down by about 1.6-percent, while forest land saw the largest drop of just over 5.3-percent. Marquis says most of those match what’s been going on at the national level.

Equalized values are used to calculate fairness in how property taxes are distributed. The numbers do not reflect individual assessments, but rather the totals in value reported to the state by each municipality in the state.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:20)