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PROPOSED ORDINANCE AMENDMENT
COOK COUNTY SERVICE OCCUPATION TAX
WHEREAS, just two short years ago, the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners made good on the pledge to taxpayers and businesses by repealing the last .25% of the so-called 'Stroger sales tax'; and
WHEREAS, the decision and votes to cut taxes on everyday items a majority of residents need to help working families, toothpaste, milk, baby formula and other everyday necessities, was made as a means of lessening the burden on them and stimulating the economy; and
WHEREAS, the tax rollback fulfilled a pledge we made to businesses that were concerned their customers would buy goods outside Cook County and as such, not only benefited Cook County shoppers, but also the retailers that serve them; and
WHEREAS, economic development also benefited as the tax climate is one of the many variables that businesses consider when deciding where to create jobs; and
WHEREAS, the cumulative effect of the sales tax rollback yielded roughly $440 million in annual savings for taxpayers; and
WHEREAS, a sales tax is recognized as an inherently regressive tax that disproportionately impacts the least fortunate among us; and
WHEREAS, the same arguments and reasoning used to gather support and passage of the rollback of the regressive sales tax are just as valid today as they were then; and
WHEREAS, the recent decision to reinstate the 1% sales tax increase in its entirety restores these same burdens on Cook County residents, families and businesses that compelled the Board to roll back this tax in the first place; and
WHEREAS, given that the proposed 2016 budget has yet to be introduced, raising the sales tax was a premature burdening of our taxpayers with hundreds of millions of dollars in new taxes each and every year into perpetuity; and
WHEREAS, as a result of this action, Cook County consumers and visitors are facing a nation-leading sales tax of between 10.25 percent and 11.25 percent....
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