Stroger unfairly left holding tax bag

Listening to the political posturing that passes for legislating in Cook County, you would think that Cook County Board President Todd Stroger is the Tax Man. He’s not, and even when he tries to cut taxes, he is criticized (for playing politics with

Here were a dozen members of the county board voting last week to rescind the 1 percent sales tax imposed last year by the board, and several of the members who voted for the tax were blaming it all on Stroger.

We do not intend to leap to Stroger’s defense. He can handle himself, and his veto of the board’s vote shows that he is not afraid to mix it up with those board members who have short memories.

But lest any Cook County citizens, especially those who live in Chicago, get the mistaken notion that Stroger is solely responsible for the “highest sales tax rate in the country” here in Chicago, just wait a minute.

Before bemoaning diminished buying power in Cook County and run off to Will, Lake or DuPage counties, whip out a sales receipt from any purchase made in downtown Chicago. That is where the highest sales taxes in the country reside, and Stroger got a lot of help in adding to the tax burden. If you bought a beverage downtown, you reached in your pocket for extra money for the state, the city, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority and the county. If you bought bottled water, Mayor Richard Daley thinks you should pay extra. The Cook County portion of the 10.25 percent sales tax is 1.75 percent, so even if Cook County’s tax hike is repealed, the tax would still be 9.25 percent in the city, and the county’s levy would be the smallest part of the tax.

______

To read the rest of this article, subscribe to our digital or paper edition. For previous editions, contact us for details.