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| Waiting to see if tax takes effect July 13 |
But I happened to be present because I wanted to buy a container of lemonade, which is among the beverages that qualify to be taxed under Cook County’s new sweetened beverage tax.
THE
PRICE TAG indicated that the lemonade was on sale, but also that the dollar
amount on the tag did not reflect the additional $0.01 per ounce that is being
charged to raise money for county government to fulfill its financial
obligations.
One
of those saying that the additional tax would be “added at checkout.”
Of
course, nothing was added when I made my purchase on Saturday, but only because
of the circuit judge who issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the
new tax from taking effect on Saturday.
So
no more tax monies will be collected, at least through July 12, when a court
hearing is scheduled to hear legal arguments on the merits of the injunction. A
permanent ban on the tax could be issued at that time.
THE
POP TAX has become one of those things that gets people worked up. How dare the
government think they can do anything to boost the price of a bottle of pop or
whatever other sweetened beverage (such as my lemonade) that we might want to
buy?!?
The
activists are trying to make this into some sort of moral crusade. They have
turned to the courts to try to prevent the Cook County Board from imposing the
pop tax it approved late last year, with provisions that it take effect as of
July 1.
Which
is why the retailers such as Jewel made a point of warning people about the
potential charge. My guess is they don’t want any customer to claim they were
somehow tricked into paying more money for their beverages.
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| PRECKWINKLE: Cook needs pop tax monies |
Just
like I have heard some complain about the fee that retailers in Chicago now
charge if one chooses to ask for a plastic bag to store their purchases in when
they leave the store. It’s only $0.07 per bag, but I’m sure some people are
going to argue about the “principle” of the issue.
ALTHOUGH
IT’S NOT just city-based retailers addressing the issue. It seems that some of
the larger supermarket chains that operate just across the Illinois/Indiana
state line are already publishing advertising inserts advising people they
ought to make a trip to their Hoosier-based stores so as to avoid paying the
Cook County tax.
Some
activists are trying to use those inserts as evidence of how Chicago-area
businesses will lose out because of the tax – those businesses just outside of
Cook County will prey on Chicago customers like leeches to suck up their money
while depriving our own businesses of revenue.
I’ve
heard figures as high as “40 percent” being tossed out – as in that’s how much
pop sales could decline in Chicago and the Cook County suburbs. That could be a
financial blow.
Except
that I wonder how many people are going to want to make a lengthy drive to buy
cheap pop. There may be those people who live near the border areas who will
make the trip to the “next town over” to save a little money.
THEN
AGAIN, THEY’RE probably the same people who make a point of making the same
trip to get cheaper gasoline for their car or will feel the need to head out to
the Land of Hoosiers for a dose of firecrackers and other explosives so as to
terrorize the neighborhood little ol’ ladies and pets with the “rockets’ red
glare” come Tuesday and Independence Day.
So
we may have some people freaking out about the price of pop going up, while
others will go out of their way to show just how minimal the cost increase will
be. While we spend the next week-and-a-half in a lull, waiting to see whether
the county’s pop tax will be permitted to exist.
Although
personally, a part of me wonders if pop is something along the lines of
cigarettes – another product that officials try to tax so as to raise revenue
while also possibly persuading people to lessen their consumption.
Which
might be for the best. Because personally, while I enjoy a Coca-Cola from time
to time, I find that too much of it gives me gas.
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