Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Thursday will propose a penny-an-ounce tax on sweetened beverages including pop, lemonade and sports drinks to help close a 2017 budget shortfall, a move that comes just 15 months after she pushed through a penny-on-the-dollar sales tax increase, commissioners said.
The beverage tax would boost the cost of pop and the like by 72 cents for a six pack of soda or 68 cents for a two-liter bottle. The tax also would be imposed on fountain drinks. And it would be applied to drinks with sugar and artificial sweeteners, commissioners said. In its first year, it would raise an estimated $74.6 million.
spinynorman99 wrote:That's pretty much the point. There's a lot of hidden "cost" in a 99-cent bottle of sugar water. The idea of the tax is to make you think twice before buying. Now I'm not necessarily in favor of having the County dictate food choices but I do agree that these sugary drinks are a public health nuisance.
spinynorman99 wrote:That's pretty much the point. There's a lot of hidden "cost" in a 99-cent bottle of sugar water. The idea of the tax is to make you think twice before buying. Now I'm not necessarily in favor of having the County dictate food choices but I do agree that these sugary drinks are a public health nuisance.
polster wrote:spinynorman99 wrote:That's pretty much the point. There's a lot of hidden "cost" in a 99-cent bottle of sugar water. The idea of the tax is to make you think twice before buying. Now I'm not necessarily in favor of having the County dictate food choices but I do agree that these sugary drinks are a public health nuisance.
Than the goverment should tax potato chips, cakes, donuts, brownies as well on the same % basis if the theory is food you eat is a 'health nuisance'.
Cathy2 wrote:AAA made the observation about the frequency of stalled cars due to lack of fuel.
According to gasbuddy.com, gas in Whiting, Indiana is $2.19 and a station on Torrance Ave in Chicago is $2.65. When I am in the area, I aim to fuel up in Indiana, too.
Just doing what I would do, too, if I were in their shoes.
polster wrote:This sounds like a good idea in theory in that it will reduce drinking sugary drinks.. But it seems way to high on % basis when you think about a 2 liter pop is on sale for $0.99 on any given week and charging $0.68 tax on that 2 liter pop seems like price gauging mafia style @ 60%+ tax rate. This looks to be worse than the cigarette tax rate in Illinois on % basis.Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Thursday will propose a penny-an-ounce tax on sweetened beverages including pop, lemonade and sports drinks to help close a 2017 budget shortfall, a move that comes just 15 months after she pushed through a penny-on-the-dollar sales tax increase, commissioners said.
The beverage tax would boost the cost of pop and the like by 72 cents for a six pack of soda or 68 cents for a two-liter bottle. The tax also would be imposed on fountain drinks. And it would be applied to drinks with sugar and artificial sweeteners, commissioners said. In its first year, it would raise an estimated $74.6 million.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... story.html
bnowell724 wrote:polster wrote:This sounds like a good idea in theory in that it will reduce drinking sugary drinks.. But it seems way to high on % basis when you think about a 2 liter pop is on sale for $0.99 on any given week and charging $0.68 tax on that 2 liter pop seems like price gauging mafia style @ 60%+ tax rate. This looks to be worse than the cigarette tax rate in Illinois on % basis.Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Thursday will propose a penny-an-ounce tax on sweetened beverages including pop, lemonade and sports drinks to help close a 2017 budget shortfall, a move that comes just 15 months after she pushed through a penny-on-the-dollar sales tax increase, commissioners said.
The beverage tax would boost the cost of pop and the like by 72 cents for a six pack of soda or 68 cents for a two-liter bottle. The tax also would be imposed on fountain drinks. And it would be applied to drinks with sugar and artificial sweeteners, commissioners said. In its first year, it would raise an estimated $74.6 million.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... story.html
I don't want to take my health cues from my government. They're too susceptible to lobbyists when deciding "what's best" for us, and have historically been very inconsistent in their choice of targeted health concerns.
Obviously drinking tons of soda is not the best health choice, but I totally disagree with financially penalizing citizens for their personal choices.
Octarine wrote:I'll just transfer my Costco trip from Melrose Park to Libertyville and Cook Co. will lose all the tax on the rest of the purchase.
sundevilpeg wrote:No joke. It's amazing how much cheaper certain staples are up here, particularly gas. I paid $2.12 p/g yesterday in Waukegan, after a trip to Lewis Fresh Market. Blue corn tortillas, giant bags of immaculate jalapeños for a buck forty nine, AND cheap gas? Yay Lake County!
Cathy2 wrote:HI,
I bought the same item* at three different Costco locations with the variance in cost reflecting local taxes:
Mettawa: $150
Bloomingdale: $151.29
Chicago - Lincoln Park: $153.87
*It was on sale, I just happened to pass these locations.
Regards,
ronnie_suburban wrote:Property taxes in Lake County are considerably higher than in Cook County so if you live in Lake County it just seems silly to get so worked up about saving a few bucks when you go shopping. You're more than making up for it when the assessor comes a calling. Sales tax - it's the tail wagging the dog in this case.
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ronnie_suburban wrote:Property taxes in Lake County are considerably higher than in Cook County so if you live in Lake County it just seems silly to get so worked up about saving a few bucks when you go shopping. You're more than making up for it when the assessor comes a calling. Sales tax - it's the tail wagging the dog in this case.
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Furthermore, property taxes are based on percentages of assessed home values. The property taxes on my home where I live in Lake County are considerably lower than than the property taxes would be on the identical structure where you live or in many communities in Cook County.
ronnie_suburban wrote:I know how property taxes work (gee, thanks) and I stand by my comments. Taxes on similar residential dwellings in both counties will almost assuredly be higher in Lake.
As for Evanston, since the entire community must subsidize a huge swatch of lakefront property owned Northwestern University, which pays no property taxes, that's a certainly an exception and it has been for years.
I hope no one wastes a half-gallon of extra gas traveling to a neighboring county to make retail purchases. Otherwise, your savings will likely be nil.
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Last year, the Emanuel administration slipped through a tax on streaming video and cloud computing. Now, again without public hearings, City Hall is targeting bars and restaurants with a surcharge on satellite TV feeds.