Possible New Tax In Darien's 'Hip Pocket'

DARIEN, IL – With more people cutting the cord, Darien has seen its cable TV tax income decline for years.

Under Illinois law, a town can enact a tax of up to 5 percent on streaming services.

At Tuesday's City Council meeting, City Administrator Bryon Vana said Darien hadn't calculated what a streaming tax would mean.

He said it was good to have the possible tax in the city's "hip pocket" should some of its income projections be off.

Such a tax would likely affect the vast majority of Darien residents. According to a Pew Research Center survey last year, more than 80 percent of Americans watch streaming services.

Darien has not raised its property tax levy in 16 years. Instead, it relies on other taxes to avoid burdening homeowners, officials say.

In Illinois, municipal property taxes typically take up only a fraction of homeowners' tax bills.