Thread: Cook County Nears Deal on Sales Tax Hike

County nears deal on sales tax hike

March 1, 2008

By Steve Patterson, Sun-Times News Group

A drink at the bar, a fast-food meal and back-to-school shopping are among those things about to get a bit more expensive in Cook County.

Late Friday, county board President Todd Stroger struck a deal with commissioners for an increase of 1 percentage point in the sales tax - driving Chicago's overall sales tax to 10.25 percent, easily the highest of any big city in the United States.

And the higher county tax will be enacted in November, just in time for the shopping season.

After months of the county's perhaps most contentious budget battle ever and the looming threat of court intervention in the budget debate, the county's $3.2 billion budget is set to be balanced by hiking the county's share of the sales tax from 0.75 to 1.75 percent and by doubling the parking tax, driving the county's share of that tax from about $20 a month to about $40.

The sales tax increase will bring in more than $400 million in new cash every year to the county. This year, it will bring in about $71 million. The increased parking tax is expected to bring in $35 million a year.

The county faces an approximately $234 million budget deficit.

The influx of money likely will help Stroger avoid having to seek a tax increase in 2009 and possibly in 2010, when he's up for re-election. Stroger had been one vote away from hiking the sales tax to 2.75 percent and said he would refuse to come down below a rate of 2 percent.

But after a day of heavy negotiating, including intervention by labor leaders such as Dennis Gannon, of the Chicago Federation of Labor, and elected officials such as Sheriff Tom Dart, the deal appeared to be done as of late Friday night.

The swing vote to pass the budget was set to come from Commissioner Larry Suffredin (D-Evanston), who campaigned for state's attorney on a boast that he had "stood up to Todd Stroger's tax increases." As of Friday night, his Web site still quoted him as saying "at this point, I see no need for any increase in taxes."

But Suffredin's willingness to deal came after Stroger agreed to give up control of the county hospital system - a patronage dumping ground for decades' worth of politicians - to an outside governing board of professionals through 2010, sources said. They said commissioners were pressing their midnight deadline Friday because of haggling over how that control will play out, sources said.

But if approved, the deal will allow county courts, the jail, health clinics and hospitals, among other county government functions, to remain operating for another year.

Business leaders and others predicted immediate negative ramifications from the higher sales tax.

"Chicago now has the unfortunate notoriety of having the highest sales tax in the country, and our region will now be a more expensive place to visit, live, work and operate a business," said Jerry Roper, head of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. "The people of our region should be outraged."

http://www.southtownstar.com/news/82066 ... ty.article

* So glad I sold my home and headed for the hills outside of illegal alien loving Cook County.

So where is all of the money going you reckon*?


Avenger dictionary(an offshoot of the Redneck Dictionary by Jeff Foxworthy)
*reck·on - Texas or Southern term meaning wonder, think, take account of etc.

Ah...don't suppose enforcing the immigration laws would have any effect on the economy, eh???

Originally Posted by avenger

So where is all of the money going you reckon*?


Avenger dictionary(an offshoot of the Redneck Dictionary by Jeff Foxworthy)
*reck·on - Texas or Southern term meaning wonder, think, take account of etc.

The lions' share goes to maintain the needs and hearts' desires of the illegals being aided and abetted;

The pockets of the corrupt career politicians get the next largest share.

The taxpayers? Get smart and move to other counties or . . . . continue to bend over and take it.

This is interesting! Is Chicago a "lab" for liberal policies of a Democrat machine government? Outrageous taxes, failed social policies, hardboiled attitudes! I never realized it; what an example to other cities of what to avoid.

Is this their answer to the illegals paying their fair share of taxes via the old "they pay sales tax" argument?

Now watch what will happen....illegals will be consuming even more in public benefits because they will have a harder time getting by with the increased cost of living.

The genius behind this plan leaves one just blinded by it's brilliance

If there was a prize, you'd win! It's a sanctuary fighting tooth and nail trying to hold on to as many illegal aliens as possible, many who actually hold city jobs. If you ever visit downtown Chicago, you can't help but notice the beautiful landscaping being planted, watered and nutured all courtesy of cheap labor.

Also, keep in mind that Chicago is bidding on the 2016 Olympics and counting on cheap illegal alien labor to help cut down on the cost.

http://www.chicago2016.org

"County nears deal on sales tax hike"

Ya and that deal is that we are going to get screwwed even more then we are getting it now.

(The bigest crooks in the world are here in Cook County, Illinois. We teach the world!)

Chicago = mafia USA

I think with the number of illegals that reside there, there is a lot of under the table wage paying to avoid state payroll taxes and the like. There were people who knew illegals in the Chicago area when I was in Mexico and they talked about this very issue of wages, etc. under the table. If an illegal doesn't scam the homeowner, there is a lot of domestic and construction work done that is paid in cash (avoiding not only payroll but possibly permit fees).

Originally Posted by safari

Chicago = mafia USA

I think with the number of illegals that reside there, there is a lot of under the table wage paying to avoid state payroll taxes and the like. There were people who knew illegals in the Chicago area when I was in Mexico and they talked about this very issue of wages, etc. under the table. If an illegal doesn't scam the homeowner, there is a lot of domestic and construction work done that is paid in cash (avoiding not only payroll but possibly permit fees).

[b]“Chicago = mafia USAâ€