Chicago sales tax now 10.25%!

[Orchidflower]

Chicago now has raised their sales tax rate to 10.25%, which means, I guess, that they are not encouraging retirees to move there. It's the highest city sales tax in the nation, and a jump from 8.25% to 10.25% is a mighty big jump. All I can say is Wow!...and Illinois wonders why there is such a brain drain here (Illinois is the State with the 3rd highest outmigration in the nation).
In case you are interested:

The Daily Journal

[ziggy29]

Quote:

"By passing this budget, the board has breathed life into this county government," said Stroger.

And by passing this budget, the board breathed death into Chicago and Cook County retail businesses, who will now lose business on big ticket items to surrounding counties.

Quote:

The budget is also designed to create more than 1,000 new county jobs.

Offset, no doubt, by the loss of several thousand retail jobs in the county. And then they'll probably raise taxes again to cover the shortfall caused in declining tax revenue. Rinse, lather, repeat.

Big Government just doesn't get it.

[Lakedog]

Montgomery, AL, is the largest city near me and it has had a 10% sales tax rate for a few years now. It certainly makes you consider taxes when making a large $ purchase -- I know I rarely shop there for this reason.

[OAG]

Actually I believe the tax has not gone into effect yet. They actually timed it for just before the holidays. Just like the Postal Service USPS, mail decreases, raise the cost of stamps, mail again decreases, raise the cost of stamps again. Counties are doing this, tax revenue decreasing, raise taxes, people leave tax revenue again goes down, raise taxes again. No one EVER thinks about reducing costs to remedy revenue short falls. When will the taxed ever raise up and say enough is enough?

[ERD50]

Many businesses operate on a profit margin of less than 10%. That's after starting the business, investing capital, hiring and training people, marketing, and all the other hard work and risk.

It just strikes me as amazing that a city/state govt can say 'we will take that 10% from every retail transaction'. Mind boggling.

And the city has property taxes, fees, permits, tolls, etc. The state has Income tax. Geez.


-ERD50

[Midpack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower Chicago now has raised their sales tax rate to 10.25%, which means, I guess, that they are not encouraging retirees to move there. It's the highest city sales tax in the nation, and a jump from 8.25% to 10.25% is a mighty big jump. All I can say is Wow!...and Illinois wonders why there is such a brain drain here (Illinois is the State with the 3rd highest outmigration in the nation).

I live just outside Chicago and DW and I used to go downtown 1-2 times/week. But we rarely go downtown anymore because of sales taxes, parking costs and gas prices. They'll just get even less of our business now...voting with my pennies. Too bad, because other than the winter weather, Chicago is a great city.

[Goonie]

Ol' King Richard II (Daley) and Todd Stroger ought to study up on 'belt tightening'.......but they won't! Same with Bago down in Springfield....spend, spend, spend......then say "Oops, the piggy banks empty.....gimme more money to flush!" Maybe they ought to see if Tony Rezko has any friends with deep pockets that they could pick.

Our local municipality raised the sales tax here (it didn't affect food or meds)....so now most everybody heads over to the neighboring towns to shop for 'stuff'......or, like me, they are now shopping online. The city fathers keep flushing it down the stool....so we quit 'donating' to their 'cause'.

Our county is the same way....they keep crying that they don't have enough money....but in the same breath they vote themselves raises and benefit increases.....not for the indians....only for the chiefs. They've tried to pass a sales tax increase 5 times in the last 2 or 3 years to drum up "needed" revenue.....Back in February we (the tax payers) voted it down for the 5th time! They were told time and time again, that if they showed good faith by tightening their belts and cutting wasteful spending, that we (the tax payers) would vote in favor of the increase. A week before the February election, the county board decided that they wanted to increase the chairman's pay by about 60%.....then they wondered why the voters shot down their proposed sales tax increase by an overwhelming majority...DUH!!!

It's no wonder that a lot of my friends are migrating out of IL!

[Walt34]

Perhaps it's not the politicians, but the people wanting services like:

Dept. of landlord/tenant affairs to resolve those disputes outside of courts.
Consumer protection agency.
Fire/rescue services that requires a 24/7 staff with 4-year degrees and $600,000 fire trucks. (Saw an article on the newer and harder materials in current cars that better protect occupants but extrication equipment four years old literally won't cut it anymore. Replacement stronger cutting tools are $25K. Each.)
Child and adult protective services.
Building/fire/code inspectors.
Parks, and the people to maintain them.
It costs $10K to equip one police officer, plus the car and maintenance on it. Replace all that stuff every five years at least. Initial training is $100K each, minimum, plus at least 2 - 3 weeks additional training every year. Almost half leave within 10 years.
And on and on....

Look in your phone book at the local govt. departments/agencies. Which ones would you cut?

Any cut is going to create howls from somebody.

One person's wasteful spending is someone else's essential service.

[Goonie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walt34 Perhaps it's not the politicians, but the people wanting services like: Dept. of landlord/tenant affairs to resolve those disputes outside of courts. Consumer protection agency. Fire/rescue services that requires a 24/7 staff with 4-year degrees and $600,000 fire trucks. (Saw an article on the newer and harder materials in current cars that better protect occupants but extrication equipment four years old literally won't cut it anymore. Replacement stronger cutting tools are $25K. Each.) Child and adult protective services. Building/fire/code inspectors. Parks, and the people to maintain them. It costs $10K to equip one police officer, plus the car and maintenance on it. Replace all that stuff every five years at least. Initial training is $100K each, minimum, plus at least 2 - 3 weeks additional training every year. Almost half leave within 10 years. And on and on.... Look in your phone book at the local govt. departments/agencies. Which ones would you cut? Any cut is going to create howls from somebody. One person's wasteful spending is someone else's essential service.

I have absolutely NO problem with the things you listed! What I call wasteful spending, is crapola that our tax dollars should NOT be wasted on.

Just a couple of examples here in our municipality:

Last year one city council member treated approx. 50 part-time, HS age, summer help to a steak dinner at the most expensive restaurant in town....on my tax dollars! That's WASTE! Historically in the past, individual dept heads told there summer workers to plan a small potluck...each person bringing a dish to pass....and the dept head provided whatever meat (luncheon meat to steak) that that dept head wanted to.

This city has sent, and paid for, one of their most inept supervisors, to attend a university in North Carolina to take a course that that supervisor wanted (NOT needed) to take....that was completely unrelated to his job. Cost $12,000. Yet they refuse to pay for even the cost of gas or meals, for other employees to go for job related technical training that is provided for FREE by various manufacturers and educational facilities.

This city spent over $2M on renovations to a 100+ year old multi-story, handicap in-accessible building....including installing an elevator.....while not increasing the much needed office space They actually reduced office space! They were offered a larger, single-level commercial office building, one block away from their present location, by a utility company that had moved their offices. That building is on 1 entire square block of downtown real estate.....half of which is a paved parking lot. The cost to the city for that facility......less than $200K.

Oh, and the city hall parking lot.....they needed more room at their current location...so after remodeling (instead of saving $1.8M by relocating to a newer handicap accessible office building 1 block away) they purchased a condemned store front next door (loaded with asbestos) for $400K PLUS they threw in a building site in the city's industrial park (another $150K), PLUS they had paid the owner of the storefront 2 years worth of rent for using his building while city hall was being remodeled (another $96K). They wasted over $2.4M by not moving. The taxpayers, needless to say, were p*ssed about it, and removed most of the council at the next election.....but the tax dollars were already flushed away.

The city fathers have the idea that anytime a building is torn down, the city should buy it, pave it, and turn it into a parking lot. We have more parking lots that a much bigger town could possibly need!

There is a LOT of tax money WASTED in this city! I was employed by the city for 30+ years, so I know what necessities we had to do without, so the hierarchy could fund their feather their nests.

If it happens like that here in little ol' Podunk City, one can only imagine how much greater the waste is in larger cities, or at the county and state level! Oh, wait....you don't have to imagine! You can read it in the headlines of the big city newspapers, and hear it on the news!

[Orchidflower]

Chicago "used to be" one of the premier cities movies were made in back as late as the '90's; however, some Mensa member (Daley, I suspect) decided that they should then raise the tax that they charge to shoot there to a now higher level than any other city ...thereby, Chicago shoots itself in the foot again, folks.
Why should film makers pay, say, a 6% tax to shoot their film in Chicago when they can go to Cincinnati for 3% tax? Even the stupid have to say "duh" to that one. Ahhhh...Chicago...such dumb people running the city.
But they'll keep pulling that Daley Machine lever anyway.

[Walt34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goonie There is a LOT of tax money WASTED in this city! I was employed by the city for 30+ years, so I know what necessities we had to do without, so the hierarchy could fund their feather their nests.

Sounds like where I worked.

Govt. "budgeting" is a strange animal. In our case the dept. was budgeted a given amount - if they didn't spend it all then the next year's was likely reduced by that amount. Not an efficient way to run things - efficiency is penalized.

We had been begging for years for new equipment/software for the computer forensics lab when one day a nice lady from the budget office stopped by and said "We have $40K we need to spend before the end of the (fiscal) year. Can you help us out?"

"Sure...."

So we finally got up-to-date gear/software/training and furniture instead of the leftover stuff from the Korean War era. But of course all was out of date within two or three years, then it starts over again. The bad guys just steal their cutting-edge stuff, we have to buy it. Virtually every agency I know of has that issue.

But the politicians had money for a $10 million+ arts center. Go figure.

[Arc]

Why is it so hard for these politicians to understand that they are generating the opposite result from what they are trying to accomplish? Seems simple to me that if you make it more expensive for people move about in your city / county there will be less of them - placing the burden on those who do not have the financial resources to move. Conversely, make it less expensive and people will come in droves.

And when do the people revolt against this? 10% is just outrageous.

[BoutDone]

Many, many years of Democrat rule in Chicago. What did you expect? Only winners are the employees of the government. They should require that all Chicago government employees live AND SPEND in Chicago.

Let me see ... where is Obama from again. Hmmm! Might be a hint of where he will take the US if elected.

[Orchidflower]

I am living now while eldercaring in Western Illlinois at the Iowa border. This area was all manufacturing when I grew up (Maytag, Bendix, John Deere, International Harvester, etc. etc. etc.) and was booming. Now that the manufacturing has moved out, you still are left with all these old time labor people who will pull that Democratic level hell or high water. Nothing wrong with being a Democrat as I was one for years, but, folk, we have to think once in awhile--and I mean this for the Chicago folks.
I hope I am still alive when the Daley group grinds itself out, so that I can read all of the graft and corruption and theft that Daley and his cronies have taken from the State of Illinois for generations.
However, that will not dissuade the Chicago Democrats. Nope...they just keep on pulling that Democratic lever. Why? Because that is the way it has "always" been. No thought is put into who to vote for, because that would be against their philosophy of always voting Democratic. A Democratic bonobo monkey could get elected if he ran in Chicago.
Haven't been to Chicago for awhile, but I'll bet they are all wearing Obama buttons right now. Forget the issues as they aren't important. The fact that he is a Democrat is the only important thing it seems in Illinois.
I cannot wait to leave this State: graft, corruption, stupid laws...ugh! I've had it.

[BoutDone]

Unfortunately, those of us who do pay attention to the policy statements of the candidates have to have our votes watered down by those who vote on automatic.

The people in IL you speak of cannot see the forest for the trees. What did they think would happen to their union jobs when their union wages got above the marketplace? Now they cling to the Govt handouts. This process compounds until the magic number of those who benefit from handouts exceeds those who have to pay for those handouts. Then it is a socialist society where everyone is equal - at the lowest common denominator. If they think things are bad now, wait until their incomes equal those on welfare. That is the lowest common denominator.

Let them keep voting Democrat. They are getting what they deserve.

Sorry you, by virtue of where you live, have had to be harmed by their irresponsible actions.

[Goonie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoutDone Let them keep voting Democrat. They are getting what they deserve. Sorry you, by virtue of where you live, have had to be harmed by their irresponsible actions.

Heck, I voted Republican and got stuck with 'Dubya'. I didn't really "deserve" him did I? What the heck was I drinking thinking!?

Over the years and in various elections, at various levels of corruption government, I've voted Independent, Republican, and Democrat, depending on the candidate and the issues. For Prez: Carter-D, Reagan-R (x2), GHWB-R (x1), Monica's ex-boyfriend-D (x2), Dubya-R (x2). I really didn't care for Dubya after his 1st term, but I liked John Kerry even less....so it was the lesser of to idiots evils (or so I thought at that time.....so maybe I was wrong!).

Now I have my choice of George Bush III McCain, Monica's ex-boyfriend's wife Hillary, or Obama. Well, I sure as h*ll can't stand another 4 years of what we've had for the past 8 years. YUCK!!! And I can't stand Bill's old lady.......so I'm more than willing to give Mr. Obama a chance! Not only am I willing to give him a chance, I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is....haven't done that since Slick Willy's 1st run for Prez.

As for state governor races in IL since I became eligible to cast a ballot, we've had 3 'elephants' and 1 'jack@ss'. First was 'Taxin' Thompson' (R) who covered up how bad the state's finances were, and then to help correct that condition he instituted a statewide hiring freeze......but only if a potential employee was a Democrat....if they were a bonafide Repub, they could be hired. But the Supreme court finally ruled that he couldn't do that anymore. Oops!

Then we had Jim Edgar (R) who most people (including me) thought was one of the best Guvs that we have had!

Then there was George "Lyin' Ryan" (R) who was disliked by many and hated by others. He ended up going form the Guv's Office to a new position on the Federal level......cleaning toilets in a Federal Pen up in Wisconsin!

Now we have our current Guv, Rod Blagojevich (a.k.a. Blago). "Although Blagoejvich was elected on a promise to end the corruption that led to the federal indictment and conviction of former Governor George Ryan, his administration has been plagued by similar controversies. Polling completed in November 2007 put Blagojevich's approval rating among Illinois voters at 31.5%. In the same poll, 52% of voters said that they would vote to recall the governor if the Illinois Constitution allowed it." (quoted form Wikipedia) He's as crooked and corrupt (or more so...who knows for sure )as his Repub predecesor, "Lyin' Ryan"

So "party" doesn't necessarily matter....there are good and bad on both sides (and in indy positions as well)....character-wise AND issue-wise. That being said, I do think McCain has fairly good character, but I personally don't care much for his stance on several issues.

(my next order of Obama pins & stickers should arrive in the next few days....)

(end of sidetrack...hijack...whatever....)

[Orchidflower]

But, when I stated that Chicago was THE crookedest State in the nation on a national board, people jumped on me for saying so. It IS! It is well known for that. What other State has their Governors and other politico going to prison for State theft?
And I go all the way back to Governor Kerner (my mother was one of his "hostesses" as his alcoholic wife needed someone to serve tea for her)--and he stole millions! AND ended up in prison.
I am out of Illinois so soon as I am thru eldercaring. I hate this State's politics!!!! And am so happy I don't have to stay in Illinois after my duty is done here. What a badly run State this is...amazing...and nobody does anything about it for years and years and years.
Illinois will keep on being the poorly run State it is so long as the people keep their head in the sand...sigh. Sad, sad, sad.

[Goonie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower What a badly run State this is...amazing...and nobody does anything about it for years and years and years.

I tried to do something about it the last several elections, but it didn't quite work out. After having George "Lyin' Ryan" as Guv, I couldn't hardly vote for anyone else named Ryan......as in Jim Ryan (R) (though he was not related). So in the 2002 primary, I voted for Roland Burris (D)...but Blagojevich beat him. In the General election, I still couldn't vote for a "Ryan".....obviously a lot of others felt that way also....so I cast a ballot for Blago. I figured he couldn't possibly be as big of a thief and liar as his predecessor.......I was absolutely correct! He wasn't as big.....turns out he's bigger!

So last election I voted for the other guy gal.....state treasurer Judy Baar Topinka (R). Unfortunatley she lost.........so we got another 4 years of Blago.....who is and has been the center of several Federal investigations. So the question won't be whether he'll go to prison for something....but rather "when"! Illinois gubernatorial candidates should just be chosen from the rosters of State and Federal Penitentiaries......that way we wouldn't have to spend so much of the taxpayer's hard-earned money to send them to prison after their term in office....just let 'em set up an office in the pen to start with!!!

Anyway, I've tried! It just hasn't quite worked out yet! It would be really nice, if we could ever get a governor from 'downstate' IL....away from King Richard II's State of Chicago! But I doubt that I'll ever live long enough to see that day come to pass!

[Midpack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arc Why is it so hard for these politicians to understand that they are generating the opposite result from what they are trying to accomplish? Seems simple to me that if you make it more expensive for people move about in your city / county there will be less of them - placing the burden on those who do not have the financial resources to move. Conversely, make it less expensive and people will come in droves.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoutDone Unfortunately, those of us who do pay attention to the policy statements of the candidates have to have our votes watered down by those who vote on automatic.

I think it's a little more sophisticated and pervasive than this. I wish I could take credit for it and I don't know where I heard it originally, but politics and specifically getting elected is 'the art of bribing people with their own money.' It's always about what the candidate can "promise" to give to the most voters, at the expense of a) undefined, b) those nasty Corporations and/or c) those nasty, crooked rich folks. It's worked time and time again, and I don't see the mainstream ever figuring it out if they haven't already so the cycle continues. If a candidate told the truth or offered less, they inevitably get killed in the election. Add a little charisma to 'bribes' and you have a winner.

a) I tried, but that other party couldn't seem to see the wisdom of my policy, sorry I tried...
b) of course those costs are just passed through to consumer voters
c) yeah, let's make taxes ever more regressive, that'll help

[Payin-the-Toll]

Sales tax in Indiana goes to 7% April 1st (appropriate date--tax raised to offset reduction in property taxes--to be reduced in 2010??). In Marion County (Indianapoplis) there is another 2% tax on restaurants--1% for the 1st football dome built in 1984 (to be torn down this year but tax continues until around 2040), and 1% for the new football stadium they're constructing now. So if I take the wife and go out to eat, we're hit with another 9% on the bill. Can remember all the pro-comments through the years as the sales tax kept increasing (it's only a penny on the dollar--it's only 1%). Well, now it's almost 10%--sure adds up over time.