North Cook News

The Cook County Board repealed the 2-month-old sweetened beverage tax on Oct. 11 after residents and businesses rebelled en masse.

Following a 15-2 veto-proof vote, the 1-cent-per-ounce tax that went into effect in early August will cease to be law as of Dec. 1.

An Illinois Manufacturers Association survey found that nearly 87 percent of Cook County residents were opposed to the tax, with four out of every five saying it was implemented not for health reasons but as a money grab.

Toni Prewinckle

The association waged a brief legal battle against the tax before a judge's ruling paved the way for its enactment, making Chicago home to some of the highest soda prices in the nation.  

The tax applied to soda, ready-to-drink sweetened coffees and teas, sports and energy drinks, and juice products that are less than 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice.

At one point, Illinois Food Retailers Association President Brian Jordan said soda sales at some area stores were down by as much as 50 percent as shoppers began crossing state lines to avoid the tax.

More recently, the Chicago Tribune reported that the nine Costco locations spread across Cook County experienced a 34 percent dip in sweetened beverage sales over the life of the law. Store officials claimed the company’s stores just outside of Cook County saw sales increase by 38 percent.  

Even now, the merchants' group CEO, Rob Karr, said local retailers face an uphill battle trying to win back the business of patrons who have grown accustomed to taking their business elsewhere.

The Tribune has also reported that board President Toni Preckwinkle is imploring colleagues to come up with ideas for how the board can close a $200 million budget shortfall. In November 2016, she broke an 8-8 tie by voting in favor of the soda tax.

Preckwinkle indicated that she has no plans to draft an alternate budget but remains open to new tax or fee hikes. Before actually pursuing the pop tax, Preckwinkle considered raising the sales tax and increasing the county property tax as potential revenue boosters.

“I presented a balanced budget, and those who decided that sweetened beverage tax repeal was appropriate understood that meant we would be $200 million short in revenue,” she told the Tribune. “I presume that they have something in mind in terms of either alternative sources of revenue or cuts to balance the budget.”

In the end, 17th District Commissioner Sean Morrison (R-Palos Park), who is largely credited with spearheading the repeal effort, told CBS it was the public that made the difference.

“It was the citizens who made the phone calls, who wrote the letters,” he said.  

Joining Morrison in voting in favor of the repeal were Luis Arroyo Jr., Richard Boykin, John Daley,  Dennis Deer, John Fritchery, Bridget Gainer, Jesus Garcia, Gregg Goslin,  Edward Moody, Stanley Moore, Timothy Schneider, Peter Silvestri, Deborah  Sims and Jeffrey Tobolski.

Larry Suffredin and Jerry “Iceman” Butler were the only commissioners who voted against the repeal.