People who let fans park on yards face tax crackdown An unidentified resident attached a U.S. flag to a game day parking sign at his home near Lambeau Field on September 24, 2001 (file photo by H. Marc Larson). Associated Press ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (AP) - Neighborhood residents who let football fans park on their yards to attend games at nearby Lambeau Field face a crackdown by the state Department of Revenue. Days after the Green Bay Packers played their first game since completion of a $295 million stadium renovation, Rueben Meisner got a letter telling him the parking revenue is subject to the state sales tax, and he likely will need to pay back taxes and get a $20 seller's permit. "I never heard of a seller's permit," his wife Gretchen Meisner said. She said she was furious on reading the letter Thursday and wasn't sure at first if she should even show it to her husband. They've lived on the same street near the stadium since it opened in 1957. "My husband's 71. I'm 68. We've both had heart attacks," she said. "Social Security is the only income we have. ... The little bit of money we made parking cars, it hardly helps pay the taxes." Many property owners around Lambeau Field allow cars to park for $10 to about $30 per game. Gretchen Meisner can remember when her children collected a quarter each from fans who wanted to park. "I thought I was doing the Packers a favor by letting people park in our yard. ... I enjoy people coming over," she said. "This is not a job. We're trying to do something nice. "I let people come in and use my bathroom. If I'm cooking something, I'll say, `Have some.' It's fun." She said she and her husband usually charge $10 per vehicle, but they also let relatives or friends park for free if they're going to a game. According to the Revenue Department's letter to the Meisners and 29 other property owners, if they charge cash to rent yard space, the money is subject to the sales tax if they earn $1,000 or more in a year. "Upon checking department records, we can find no indication that you are registered to hold a Wisconsin seller's permit," the letter stated. It advised the recipients to apply for the $20 permit, pay taxes on parking receipts since 1999 and apply a sliding formula to determine the interest owed on back taxes. It also reminded them to report parking revenue as income. "I don't know what to do," Gretchen Meisner said. "I have no idea whatsoever how many cars I've parked." Revenue officials backed off somewhat when contacted about the letter. "Was it handled very well? I'd say no," said Jason Helgerson, executive assistant to Revenue Secretary Michael Morgan. He said Morgan didn't know about the letters until Friday. "Secretary Morgan has asked the staff to sort of cease and desist this approach and work constructively with those individuals who own property around Lambeau, to make sure we can get them to comply with the law." The department received a tip that someone was making a lot of money parking cars near Lambeau and not collecting sales taxes, Helgerson said. Department investigators walked the commercial and residential neighborhoods during last Sunday's game to check. The department then sent out the 30 letters in a sort of "scattergun" direction, Helgerson said. "The goal of the Department of Revenue is not to harass people and go after small amounts of money," he said. However, he said: _ Businesses, residents and churches that rent out parking space on Packer game days, if they make $1,000 or more per season, should get the $20 seller's permit. _ They must, by law, collect sales taxes from their customers and remit that tax to the department. Gretchen Meisner said she received a call Friday night from a revenue official who asked that she call someone in Madison Monday. Helgerson said the department plans to fully explain the situation and teach people how to collect the tax and remit it. Also, he said the department doesn't intend to collect any back taxes from the Meisners or others in their situation.