Emanuel still refuses to talk tax details
Wednesday, Feb 2, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Reporters tried, but so far Rahm Emanuel still won’t come clean on what services he would tax under his new plan…
Pressed once again for the complete list of services he intends to tax, Emanuel said he would “work with the Legislature,” where the sales tax swap must be authorized.
* The Tribune kinda likes the idea, but, like the rest of us, wants more details…
The problem is, Emanuel can’t seem to spell out a bright line for what would be taxed and what wouldn’t. This has turned into a parlor game.
Would he tax limo rides?
Campaign says: You bet.
Car services? Maybe.
Taxicabs? Certainly not!
Huh?
“Huh?” is right. This is a major proposal. Emanuel ought to provide some details.
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* Playing Super Bowl in Chicago would be ridiculous: Chico can’t be blamed for thinking big. He’s pushing for the economic benefits a Super Bowl purportedly brings to a city. Tourists would flock to the city. Money would flock with them. But there’s a reason birds flock to the South in the winter: It’s cold in the North. It appears that same cold has caused a bad case of brain freeze for Chico.
- drew - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 5:27 am:
Unless some fundamental change happens in the race, Rahm will do just fine without the tax details.
He’s already got the “tough decisions” thing down.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 7:26 am:
Obi-Rahm Kenobi’s Jedi mind tricks won’t work with this one. He’ll have to produce details or he’ll let his opponents claim that everything will be taxed.
The Super Bowl is a non-starter. New York got the nod for one and one only because Paul Tagliaube got caught up in the emotion after 9/11 and promised to make it happen before he left office.
Corporate America parties all Super Bowl week, and they’d rather be down south in February.
A Final Four makes sense, but it’s probably impossible to make the schedules work as long as the Hawks and Bulls have to take super-long roadtrips to accommodate the big circus and ice show dates at the United Center.
- Wensicia - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 8:14 am:
Even though he’s not providing details, Emanuel’s tax plan is a good idea. It would distribute the highest sales taxes to those well able to afford them, easing the tax burden on the poor.
- Holdingontomywallet - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 8:19 am:
“This is a major proposal. Emanuel ought to provide some details.”
Yes, he should, but considering his lead he should be able to bob and weave to the title. Hopefully, the media will continue to apply pressure as they did with the Brady campaign. The lack of details in Brady’s plan hurt him, but Emanuel’s lead is so big, he can absorb a few punches. Following the “Pelosi logic”, you will have to elect him first to find out what is in his tax plan.
- 10th ward - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 9:57 am:
Huh? Chicago to host SB isn’t any crazier than New York hosting in 2014
- NotRMiller - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 9:59 am:
Good luck with this in Springpatch Rahm!!! I can just imagine the testimony in a House Committee. Two guys staying at the Hilton getting ready to head out to O’Hare, one takes a yellow cab and the other takes a livery car. Same ride, same distance, one pays a tax and one doesn’t?? I can see Mr. Wirtz filing another law suit!
- amalia - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 10:27 am:
Use taxes, unless crafted in an extremely detailed way, are regressive. You can say that the reduction of a sales tax will help the poor, but what about a new tax? Just because someone does not have Rahm money does not mean a service tax is not impactful. That’s why the details are important. And why the media should hound him to get them. Maybe the media shock at the incompetence of Daleyland over the Lake Shore Drive, north and south, snow, will rub off on their favored candidate.
- Little Italy - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 10:46 am:
I agree with Chico about “dibs” but he’s really stretching when he talks about shoveling his own space out. I was Gery’s neighbor for the entire time he lived on Loomis and I never saw him shovel himself out. (I believe that his house had a garage, but I may be wrong.) He’s a really nice guy and was a wonderful neighbor, but his hands have not seen a shovel in a long time.
- Don't Worry, Be Happy - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 10:56 am:
I remember when the Bears pushed the stadium plan through the legislature in veto session. There were questions about whether the new stadium should be domed (or at least retractable) to allow for events such as the Super Bowl to be held here. Also, there was the idea of building a completely new stadium next to McCormick to allow it to be used for shows outside of the football season.
The Bears had their plan and they shut down those ideas, and just muscled it through.
- SR - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 10:56 am:
The devil is in the details. I wish the media would press all of the candidates for more details on how they are going to fund their various proposals.
It wouldn’t hurt to try for the Super Bowl, but the size of the Soldier Field would probably be the deal breaker. New York’s stadium is one of the largest in the NFL.
- Cheryl44 - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 10:58 am:
When he says ‘car service’ what does the reporter/Emanuel mean? I’m already paying a rental car tax whenever I use an I-Go car, though I admit I don’t know if that’s a state/county or city tax. If the city wants to encourage more people to ditch ownership and use the carshare companies, they shouldn’t be adding a tax.
- NotRMiller - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 11:59 am:
Amalie: what would YOUR PLAN would have been for LSD? What time would YOU have closed the Drive? 1pm? 2pm? I would love to know, since you think the City did a bad job.Please give Specific details!
- I don't want to live in Teabagistan - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 1:27 pm:
We’ll never get a Super Bowl. Cold weather, no dome, 2nd smallest stadium in league. No chance. Ever.
- titan - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 1:44 pm:
Super bowls in northern cities require covered stadiums. It’s just that simple. Even southern cities with domes have an advantage (rain is a downer too)
- titan - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 1:48 pm:
I don’t expect substance/detail from Rahm - unless perhaps he’s for Ed to a runoff with - likely - Chico. Otherwise, why should he? He’ll win without it, and risks alienating more with detail than without (the Obama hope’n'change show plan - detail only hurts you)
- amalia - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 1:49 pm:
@NotRMiller: early in the afternoon, newsradio announced that the inbound Stevenson would divert drivers off at MLKDrive because they did not want drivers going onto the drive.
The early briefings of the OEMC talked about how they had cameras at several locations that would alert them to problems and could lead to closings.
It is unclear whether they closed at about 7 or after 8, but both of those were too late considering the problems with wind and the wave forecast. the City should have followed up on the plan to divert traffic straight into the Loop and south on MLk and closed the drive down earlier, probably before traditional rush hour.
but, things always break. and in case of breakage, communication is the best defense. Listening to WGN….WBBM decided to go into old timey radio mode….those on the mike did not seem to know what was going on to help those in cars. those on calls were calm, but like those we see on tv, lots are wondering. It’s not just me. The officials in charge should have overcommunicated to the radio and tv folks, and even tried Twitter.
But, hats off to a bunch of members of the media for keeping us informed. WGN radio was quite helpful, and surprisingly, I thought the coverage on CBS2 rocked.
It’s not Egypt, with camels and horses, whips and punches at Anderson Cooper. But the City could communicate better and follow up on what it seemed they planned to do earlier in the day.
- OneMan - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 1:58 pm:
== When he says ‘car service’ what does the reporter/Emanuel mean? == A hired care specifically to transport you from one point to another, sort of like a limo but usually a sedan. Usually a corporate thing
Think Boston Coach
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 2:02 pm:
===When he says ‘car service’ what does the reporter/Emanuel mean?===
A polite way of saying “limo service.”
- Plutocrat03 - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 3:32 pm:
Its textbook Axlerod. Give enough of an idea to allow a person to fill in the blanks their own way. No worries about the specifics.
- Stormy - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 4:14 pm:
Am I the only one getting tired of Emanuel?
- Jasper - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 4:15 pm:
I just checked another site where I posted re LSD: By 3:00 it was at a virtual standstill, not 2:00. My bad. But still, the city kept allowing cars on for several more hours.
- Stormy - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 4:19 pm:
For the record, it is colder in Dallas than in Chicago today and some snow is predicted.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 4:31 pm:
Orozko is on the news now, saying he bears responsibility for not closing down Lake Shore Drive earlier.
Of course, those who chose to drive on Lake Shore Drive last night bear some responsibility, as well. It’s not like they hadn’t been warned for days.
I’ve been shoveling all day (great neighborhood effort to clear the alley), but I guess that’s been a lingering question among newsies.
I don’t think Daley has stepped in front of a camera. Usually he does the “check on your neighbors” bit. Must be counting down the days.
- amalia - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 6:15 pm:
Aren’t we also watching double dippers in action? Tom Byrne, Chicago Police Dept., moved over to the City. Orozco moved to the City after 29 years with the Fire Dept., pension territory. Orozco moved over from Fire to step in when the 911 guy was hit with the contracts investigation. that was in 2008. Byrne got to move over to Transportation and then Streets and San longer ago than that to clean up similar messes.
Everybody likes tom byrne, but when he moved from Police to City, it just seemed greedy. and weird since everyone thought he worked with the City already.
Hope this pension loophole was cleared up with new legislation.
- chi - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 6:52 pm:
=Aren’t we also watching double dippers in action?=
What in the world does the amount of pensions one is collecting/building have to do with the job he is doing?
- Angry Chicagoan - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 8:02 pm:
Well, maybe Chico can roll the city council out to Soldier Field to enable mid-winter football. All that hot air will melt the snow in no time . . .
- Anon III - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 8:30 pm:
Sales tax on services? Does “car service” include taxi cab rides? Barbers’ services, haircuts? Doctors’ services, checkups, delivering babies? Real estate brokers services, commissions on sales of homes? Lawyers’ services, defense of DUI, writing a will, handling a divorce?
I think Clinton’s candidate ought to say what the meaning of “service” is.
- amalia - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 8:36 pm:
shouldn’t be doing the job in the first place with the double dip.
- Bubs - Wednesday, Feb 2, 11 @ 9:10 pm:
Candidates with thirty point leads with three weeks to go are not generally known to be big on “details” concerning intractable problems.
It may cost Emanuel in April, though, if there is a runoff against Chico. But I have not seen that much substance out of Chico on the deficit, either.
It’s not surprising for both of them, given how draconian the remedies now look. Chicago voters have been living in Daley Dreamworld for a long time, where Da Mare would snap his fingers and some remedy would appear like magic. No more.
In the words of Col. Nathan Jessups, “You can’t handle the truth!”