BARRINGTON - Rep. David McSweeney (R-Cary) is hearing from the part of his district that's in Cook County - and they are upset about the one cent per ounce soda pop tax that went into effect last week.
Paying a dollar for two liters of pop and an additional 67 cents for the pop tax, as well as sales tax has become a pain point for many in the county. The stores and restaurants are having a difficult time figuring out which beverages are taxed and which aren't. And the Feds have stepped in, aggravated that federal tax dollars that are supposed to be used to help the underprivileged buy groceries could mistakenly be used to pay county taxes.
So, with the co-sponsorship of Chicago Democrat State Rep. Mary Flowers, McSweeney filed HR 567 this week to condemn County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's new tax. Preckwinkle is being hung with the albatross because she - yes SHE - broke the Cook County Board Commissioners' tie with her single vote to enact the tax.
McSweeney's resolution also encourages the County Board to repeal the tax as soon as possible.
"Illinois taxes are too high. Some Springfield politicians raised the income tax rate by 32%, raised the E10 gas sales tax rate, and look the other way as property taxes continue to skyrocket. I've been leading the effort to stop a statewide soda tax," McSweeney told Illinois Review.
"The Cook Co beverage tax is outrageous and should be immediately repealed. Enough is enough - the feeding frenzy of higher taxes has to stop or more people and jobs will be driven out of Illinois."
Here's the text of McSweeney's resolution:
