* From an article entitled “Emanuel Hints at City Beverage Tax Relief”…
While Cook County commissioners and Board President Toni Preckwinkle battle over the controversial sweetened beverage tax, city taxpayers may be seeing some relief on that front.
In an interview for “Chicago Tonight,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel refused to take sides on the county tax debate, but indicated he would take action at the city level.
“I’m going to focus on my budget, and in my budget, there’s going to be some tax reduction in that area,” Emanuel said.
The mayor will release the city’s 2018 budget on Wednesday, Oct. 18. He was not specific about how much taxes would be reduced, or which tax would go down. Not including alcoholic drinks, there are three retail beverage oriented taxes: a 9 percent syrup tax paid by the distributor, a 3 percent soda tax paid by the consumer, and a 5 cent bottled water tax.
* However, one of the mayor’s spokesmen said to me this morning that reducing the city’s beverage taxes (some of which I didn’t even know existed) was “Not what [the mayor] meant and not happening.”
“We’re looking at tax relief,” the spokesman said, “but not the specific area of taxes on sugary/sweetened beverages.” It was, the spokesman said, a “reasonable misunderstanding, but a misunderstanding all the same.”
- Chris Widger - Friday, Oct 6, 17 @ 9:29 am:
“There’s going to be some tax reduction,” from Rahm’s statement, is the same thing that House Speaker Thomas Foley said in a November 1991 statement. I hope this blog takes this appropriation to task. It’s unacceptable for any politician to make any statement another politician makes, as asserted artfully in yesterday’s posts.
- Perrid - Friday, Oct 6, 17 @ 9:42 am:
Chris, copying someone’s slogan that they use in ads is a little different than using the same words in response to a question. I get your point, you think it’s a non issue and are trying to be snarky about it, but you’re not making your point very well.
- James the Intolerant - Friday, Oct 6, 17 @ 9:44 am:
Rahm just can’t help himself, how can he even seriously talk about tax reduction. And if there is tax reduction “in this area”, there will be an increase in another area. The city needs additional revenue, that is a given.
- Anonymous - Friday, Oct 6, 17 @ 9:44 am:
IPI actually put out a handy graphic on this. I definitely didn’t know how many layers there were in CHI. https://files.illinoispolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Soda-tax-2L-bottle_Graphic_9.25.png
- Anonymous - Friday, Oct 6, 17 @ 9:48 am:
@Chris
This is like both McDonalds and Hardees claiming to have great food. Both can make the same claims and use the same words. But Hardees can’t change it’s logo to “I’m Lovin’ It”. Big difference between use in regular speech and using it as a motto.
- Ghost - Friday, Oct 6, 17 @ 10:12 am:
Get rid of all beverage tax, reduce the city sales tax, make up the revenue with a large tax on oxycodone and it’s brethren. Like we did for cigarettes but this targets the wealthy not the poor.
- City Zen - Friday, Oct 6, 17 @ 11:01 am:
Chicago also has a 0.25% Restaurant Tax.
https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/fin/supp_info/revenue/tax_list/restaurant_tax.html
- Downstate43 - Friday, Oct 6, 17 @ 11:05 am:
So the lifeline to CPS from SB1947 would presumably go down the drain with decreased property tax revenue? The City is delusional.
- Ron - Friday, Oct 6, 17 @ 12:06 pm:
- Downstate43 - Friday, Oct 6, 17 @ 11:05 am:
So the lifeline to CPS from SB1947 would presumably go down the drain with decreased property tax revenue? The City is delusional.
Huh?
- RoscoeRatMatt - Friday, Oct 6, 17 @ 12:07 pm:
I learned long ago not to quench my thirst nor the thirst of my vehicle in Chicago and Cook County. I’ve now gotten used to going to Lake County for my shopping needs. Any proposal regarding tax abatement by a Chicago politician can be safely deemed a lie once it’s left his mouth and hit the open air. That the millions in ill-gotten police overtime with no measurable improvement in crime figures escaped mention in the Tribune is a abject journalistic failure. There’s a real need for reform at both governmental entities. Why has there never been a rainy day at the Cook County Board?