Preckwinkle Pops Tie on Cook County Beverage Tax: Report

CHICAGO — Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle broke a tie on her own contentious penny-per-ounce tax on soft drinks and other sweetened beverages — including energy and sports drinks, the Chicago Tribune reported.

“Preckwinkle took that rare action, stepping further into the spotlight glare on a controversial issue, because she is counting on the $224 million a year the tax is expected to raise to balance the county's books for the next three years, starting with the 2017 fiscal budget year that begins Dec. 1. A vote no that $4.9 billion plan is scheduled for next Tuesday,” according to the Tribune.

Preckwinkle had pledged that if the soda tax was approved, she would not raise county taxes for at least the next two fiscal years.

Opposition groups — such as those representing food-related businesses, as well as beverage bottlers and distributors — were upset over the idea of taxing soft drinks. Some have called it a job killer that would damage Chicago's hospitality industry.

Other U.S. cities have knocked around the idea of taxing sugary soft drinks with mixed results. Earlier this year, Philadelphia's city council passed such a measure, and officials in Oakland, CA, are considering it. Currently, 33 states tax the sale of soft drinks, and six of them tack on an excise tax to the sales tax.

photo via Pixabay

Written by Joseph Hosey