Hotel Visits, Bullets, Lawsuits to Cost More in Cook County
Hotel visits, bullets and lawsuits will all cost more in Cook County next year.
The increases are a result of tax and fee hikes Cook County Commissioners approved with a 12-5 vote last week for Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s $4.5 billion budget in the 2016 fiscal year.
“This is not an easy budget,” said Preckwinkle in a news conference after the meeting. “But it is a responsible budget that tackles our needs head-on, without dodging tough decisions or kicking the can down the road.”
Commissioner John Fritchey (12th Dist.), who voted against the budget, said cuts were needed in the budget so taxpayers wouldn’t be financially burdened.
“We’re asking them to do more with less,” Fritchey said.
In the new fee hikes, lawsuits will increase $20 for each new filing.
There also will be a 20-cents per milliliter tax on liquids that fuel electronic cigarettes.
Among the more controversial tax increases is a 1 percent hike on hotels visits.
The increase will take the total hotel tax to 17.39 percent in Chicago.
Hotel owners said the tax will be one of the highest in the country and could make it hard for Chicago to compete for conventions.
However, some county officials argued the tax will not affect county residents directly because typically hotel and motel customers don’t live in the area.
Another controversial tax is the one placed on bullets – ranging from 1 cent to 5 cents per round, depending on the type of bullet.
The tax will be used to help fund public safety and health programs.
Commissioner Richard Boykin (1st Dist.) who pushed for the bullet tax acknowledged that he hopes the hike will help convince gun shops owners to be more responsible on how they sell ammunition and weapons.
“This sends a huge signal to the gun industry,” Boykin said.
Overall, tax hikes will bring in $512 million a year, including $473 million coming from a sales tax increase.
In July, the Cook County Board passed a penny on the dollar sales tax, which will increase the sales tax in Chicago to 10.25 percent, among the highest in the nation.
The increases come as the county grapples with a $6.5 billion unfunded pension liability crisis. Most of the proceeds would be placed into the county pension fund.
Preckwinkle backed off an unpopular plan to extend the county’s 3 percent amusement tax to include cable television, golf and bowling.
The amusement tax, however, was extended to sellers of second hand tickets.
County officials also delayed pay raises at the start of the new budget year for non-union employees.
“This budget is a reasonable and responsible approach that avoids severely impacting operations and services, particularly in the public safety arenas,” Preckwinkle said. “It is also a demanding budget with more than $110 million in expenditure and staff reductions, and program cuts, but throughout the process we have been committed to tackling our fiscal challenges head on.”
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