Preckwinkle Touts Tax Rollback In Glenview
Stroger's 1% Sales Tax Hike Fully Rolled Back As of New Years Day
By: Tom Robb | January 2nd, 2013
When Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle took her victory lap today (Wednesday) marking the complete rollback of a 1% sales tax hike implemented several years ago by previous county board President Todd Stroger, she did it in Glenview.
Preckwinkle held a press conference at Abt Electronics on Milwaukee Avenue joined by Village President Kerry Cummings, several county board commissioners, Glenview village trustees and leaders of the Glenview Chamber of Commerce, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and Illinois Retail Merchants Association.
"I kept my promise to residents to eliminate the sales tax hike, the most significant pledge of my 2010 campaign. At the same time we've taken significant steps to rein in spending, eliminate waste and create efficiencies," Preckwinkle said at the press conference.
She said people felt Stroger had not made a real effort to find savings rather than raise taxes.
The accelerated rollback of Stroger's 1% sales tax hike takes Cook County's portion of the sales tax rate to 0.75%, still about 0.25% higher than neighboring Lake County. Total sales taxes also include local home rule and state taxes.
Preckwinkle said the rollback cost the county's 2013 budget $86 million and would result in an overall savings to taxpayers of $440 million.
Abt partner Mike Abt showed tax records from the business' start in 1938 when Abt paid a total sales tax rate of 2.7%.
Illinois Retail Merchants Association Vice President Tanya Triche said retail customers "vote with their feet" everyday and said the rollback helps retailers still struggling with the effects of the recession.
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