Chicago repeals soda tax
According to the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Cook County board voted to repeal the city’s controversial soda tax, which means consumers won’t have to pay it come December 1.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Cook County board voted to repeal the city’s controversial soda tax, which means consumers won’t have to pay it come December 1. The repeal was a foregone conclusion after the board’s Finance Committee voted 15–1 to repeal the unpopular soda tax on October 10.
The final repeal vote came after the American Beverage Association and local store owners teamed to spend millions of dollars to push for repeal, countering an even more expensive TV and radio ad campaign by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire public health advocate.
Board President Toni Preckwinkle maintained that the $200 million a year she expected the tax to raise was needed to avoid 11% across-the-board cuts. Now that repeal is final, officials will begin work on cutting $200 million from the proposed $5.4 billion spending plan for next year.
Rob Karr, president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) issued the following statement in response to the vote: “This is great news for consumers and retailers throughout Cook County. Since its inception, this tax was poorly devised, placed an enormous operational and financial burden on retailers, and saddled consumers with the responsibility to pick up the tab. We thank Commissioners Morrison and Boykin for leading the charge for repeal and all of the County Board members who have signed on to the repeal.”