North Cook News

Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker continues to refuse to call for a repeal of the Cook County sweetened beverage tax, clearly fearing repercussions from his government allies, the Illinois Republican Party said in a press release recently.

The Illinois GOP criticized Pritzker for not vocally opposing an ordinance that has proved incredibly unpopular in the county. In a statement to Capitol Fax, Pritzker said that he did not support the tax, but he has also said he does not support legislation to repeal the measure.

Highlighting the widespread opposition to the ordinance, the Illinois GOP pointed to a recent editorial in the Chicago Sun-Times that notes that nearly seven out of 10 county residents disapprove of the soda tax, and eight of 10 said that they are less likely to support Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who engineered the tax.

J.B. Pritzker

"Try selling a 12-pack of Coke on one side of the county border for $1.44 more than your competitor sells it on the other side of the border,” the paper's editorial staff wrote. “As a retailer, you lose not only that sale, but every other sale you might have made if the customer had walked into your store instead of your competitor’s. The unpopularity of the tax is no longer in doubt.”