# Finally Wisconsin minimum gas markup law ruled unconstitutinal. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 12, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-wisconsin-minimum-gas-markup-law-ruled-unconstitutinal/485577 "2009-02-12T19:08:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-wisconsin-minimum-gas-markup-law-ruled-unconstitutinal/485577/1 "2009-02-12T19:08:34Z")
For years as Wisconsin has had high gas prices our legislatures kept saying we have a minimum mark up law, that’s why the prices are higher than many places in the nation. They never changed the law though. Finally we have relief from the minimum gas mark up law. [Federal judge strikes down Wis. gas law](http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9834288)😛 Now if we could get our repeat drunk driver officials permanently out of office my day would be great. ---
**Author:** ![hekk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@hekk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hekk)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-wisconsin-minimum-gas-markup-law-ruled-unconstitutinal/485577/2 "2009-02-13T00:49:00Z")
This came about 70 years too late, but hooray! It’s a stupid law, always was. I remember an article where a gas station owner had to stop giving senior discounts(!) because of it. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-wisconsin-minimum-gas-markup-law-ruled-unconstitutinal/485577/3 "2009-02-13T02:14:47Z")
So when do our gas prices come down?? ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-wisconsin-minimum-gas-markup-law-ruled-unconstitutinal/485577/4 "2009-02-13T03:49:34Z")
I live in a WI border town and MN gas is always at least 20 cents per gallon cheaper. Is this going to make it more even? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-wisconsin-minimum-gas-markup-law-ruled-unconstitutinal/485577/5 "2009-02-13T05:08:40Z")
Will this spell the end of mom and pop gas stations? One of the reasons behind the minimum markup law as to prevent one store of a large national chain from taking a loss (for example, selling gas 50¢ cheaper then the person across the street) to drive them out of business. ---
**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-wisconsin-minimum-gas-markup-law-ruled-unconstitutinal/485577/6 "2009-02-13T05:22:22Z")
according to this: [USA and Local National Gas Station Price Heat Map - GasBuddy.com](http://gasbuddy.com/gb_gastemperaturemap.aspx) it’s still much cheaper than anywhere on the western seaboard ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-wisconsin-minimum-gas-markup-law-ruled-unconstitutinal/485577/7 "2009-02-13T08:31:52Z")
This doesn’t guarantee the prices will go down, but at least they can’t use the law to blame for the higher price anymore. As the prices doubled so did the minimum mark up. It’s really great to hear the smug faced station manager tell people sorry it’s against the law to sell it for less, when their minimum mark up has doubled just because the cost doubled. You are now required to make twice the profit per gallon sold, because of this law. So yah you’re really sorry and by the way we can hear your smugness and read it on your face when you make that statement. The only place you hear of it being more expensive on a regular basis is California and that sucks. Not having the absolute most expensive gas in the country doesn’t mean the price hasn’t drastically effected Wisconsin workers ability to pay for necessities. This thread is about the elimination of a sucky law that has been deemed unconstitutional.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-wisconsin-minimum-gas-markup-law-ruled-unconstitutinal/485577/8 "2009-02-14T09:06:06Z")
Roughly one-third of all Wisconsinites live in the six southeast counties of the state, where all gasoline is sold in an ethanol mixture to reduce emissions, but boosting the price by at least 10¢ a gallon. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-wisconsin-minimum-gas-markup-law-ruled-unconstitutinal/485577/9 "2009-02-14T12:21:31Z")
The local printed paper had a more detailed article where someone gave the estimate of 30 cents per gallon as the extra amount this law automatically cost us when gas was around $4 a gallon. I couldn’t find the article in their online addition, but I’ve found their search function is unreliable. I seem to remember the highest profits oil companies ever had when gas was at the highest prices. To clarify the comment about ethanol blends, it’s not the ethanol that causes a higher price. It’s the county by county extra’s added to reduce some emissions that the suppliers blame for higher prices. Oil suppliers can always blame a price increase on something though can’t they. They blamed higher prices on refinery shortages for at least three years, until the government said they would look into building some more. The industry then said they had plenty and we shouldn’t build more.