Wisconsin Act 12, bipartisan legislation passed earlier this year, addressed the need for increased revenue and funding for local government services. Part of that legislation allowed for a new tax and a tax increase in the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County, respectively.

Beginning January 1, 2024, a new city of Milwaukee sales and use tax (2%) and an increase in the sales and use tax for Milwaukee County (from .5% to .9%) went into effect. The combined state, county and city sales and use tax rate in the city of Milwaukee is now 7.9%, and the rest of Milwaukee County is now 5.9%.

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Remember to renew your 2024 MHA membership between now and January 31, 2024.  

To renew your MHA membership online, go to www.midwesthardware.com, login and click on Profile (located in the upper right corner). Navigate to your Subscriptions page (located in the menu to the left), click the three dots to the right of the subscription and select Subscribe. 

Where can you find additional information?

Review the Online Membership Renewal Instructions for detailed instructions.

Review General Online Renewal Information and FAQ’s.

View the 2024 Member Handbook.

If you have any questions, please contact us at mha@midwesthardware.com or 800-888-1817.

If you would prefer to complete and return a renewal form via mail, please provide your email address and we are happy to email a renewal form to you.

Thank you for your continued support and loyalty to your association.

Hardware dealers who had 20 or more employees during the previous calendar year are required to electronically report data  found on OSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) for calendar year 2023 by March 2, 2024. If you have 100 or more employees, you also have additional reporting requirements that took effect January 1, 2024. 

WHO MUST ELECTRONICALLY REPORT INJURY AND ILLNESS DATA?

• Establishments with peak employment during the previous calendar year of 250 or more employees.
• Establishments with peak employment during the previous calendar year of 20 to 249 employees that are classified in certain industries (including hardware retailers). For a list of covered industries, go to: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1904/1904.41AppA

WHO DOES NOT HAVE TO ELECTRONICALLY SUBMIT DATA?

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The OSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) must be posted each year from February through April, of the year following the year covered by the form. Remember to post your 2023 OSHA Form 300A from February 1, 2024 to April 30, 2024.                                                                                                                                                                                                  

If your company had more than ten (10) employees at any time during the last calendar year, you must keep OSHA injury and illness records unless your establishment is classified as a partially exempt industry (https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/presentations/exempttable). Hardware stores are not classified as exempt from the recordkeeping requirements, and therefore, you must keep injury and illness records if you had more than 10 employees. In addition to recording illness and injuries, the records must be retained at the worksite for at least five years.  

If your company had 10 or fewer employees at all times during the last calendar year, you do not need to keep OSHA injury and illness records unless OSHA or the Bureau of Labor Statistics informs you in writing that you must keep records.  However, all employers covered by the OSH Act must report to OSHA within 24 hours any work-related incident that results in a fatality, the in-patient hospitalization of one or more employees, an employee amputation, or an employee loss of an eye.

How do I determine the size of my company to find out if I qualify for the partial exemption for size?

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