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| Who'd have thought political statement being made? |
I
can’t help but think the same sarcasm applies to many of the people who these
days are getting offended over taxes – particularly the one that is drawing the
national attention to Chicago in the form of the pop tax.
JUST
ON TUESDAY the Chicago Tribune reported about one of the latest lawsuits filed
in Cook County Circuit Court. There’s a man from suburban Schaumburg who’s
upset that when he went to his local Walgreens store to purchase bottled
sparkling water, he was hit with the tax.
He
argues the packaging clearly indicates the water is unsweetened, while the
so-called pop tax applies to sweetened beverages.
The
man who filed his lawsuit last week said he wants a jury trial (probably
because he wants a court ruling based in public sentiment rather than the
technicalities of the law) and class-action status, which would allow for other
people who have objections to the Cook County pop tax to pile on.
Why
have one lone person suing someone over the penny per ounce fee the county
wants to charge on pop and other sweetened beverages if you can have many?
THIS
IS ABOUT people wishing to make a stink over an issue which basically amounts
to them feeling a bit cheap and not wanting to pay an additional cost every
time they buy their 2-liter bottle of pop (which can come to about $0.65 more).
In
the case of Walgreens, the Tribune reports that the company admits it screwed
up when coding the products it sells – which means that when the cashier swipes
the water bottles at the register, it comes up with the pop tax added on even
though it’s not supposed to.
And
since it’s programmed to do that, the cashier has no authority, or ability, to
take it off. Walgreens officials say they’re working to fix the situation.
Which is about all we should expect to happen.
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| PRECKWINKLE: Arousing cheapskate anger? |
I
think the people who are hoping to go after Walgreens as a way of attacking the
pop tax itself are just more interested in hearing themselves yell and scream.
Of course, they’ll scream even louder whenever government fails to provide the
services they expect as part of their life’s routines.
THEY’RE
BEING ‘REVOLUTIONARIES’ against the issue of about 20 cents being added on to
the cost of a single-serving sized plastic pop bottle. All of which is meant to
help balance out the Cook County government budget.
Maybe
it’s because I’ve been making an effort for the past year or so to reduce the
amount of carbonated beverages I consume (I enjoy an occasional Coca-Cola too
much to totally give up the habit, but it certainly doesn’t have to be a daily
purchase), but this particular pop tax just strikes me as being yet another
increase in the cost of daily life. Nothing is as cheap as it used to be when I
was younger.
Yet
some people are determined to carry out this petty fee and their disagreement
to an extreme. Maybe it’s because the more serious taxes are too complex for
them to go after.
Similar
to how some Chicago residents get all worked up over being charged 7 cents for
the cost of a plastic bag whenever they buy something.
PERSONALLY,
I VIEW that fee as a cost of convenience for not having to carry my own bags to
the store. Although for those who have their own canvas totes or whatnot to
bring with them when they shop, more power to them!
Yes,
I’m aware of the new poll showing 87 percent of those questioned hate the pop
tax. Then again, how many people are going to do anything about it? This is one
tax that gradually is going to become a part of the daily routine – no matter
how much some retail groups try to challenge it in court and how petty Cook
County gets with their counter-lawsuits against them.
Personally,
I’d feel like a phony revolutionary if I claimed I was opposed to either of
these taxes (pop or plastic bags) on some high-minded principle involving the
legitimacy of taxation.
It
would be more honest if the people who are complaining were to just come out
and tell the truth – they’re feeling cheap!
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