Chicago, IL – A 66% tax increase to Cook County’s special use gasoline and fuel tax proposed by Commissioner Richard Boykin hit a wall of opposition at today’s board meeting. The sponsor of the proposed tax hike deferred the proposal instead of calling for a vote so as to avoid a resounding defeat on the board floor.
“The gas tax increase was a fiscally irresponsible proposal. We worked hard to get that message out to taxpayers and businesses and we were successful today in turning back another regressive tax increase,” stated Commissioner Morrison.
The proposed gas tax increase had been earmarked to fund several new, yet vaguely defined, county government programs. Not only was the 66% gas tax increase questionable, but there were also questions about the new programs that would expand the size of county government by duplicating programs and overlapping services that already exist.
“Asking the county board to approve this tax increase along with the creation of new programs at a time when Cook County government is faced with serious fiscal challenges was extremely misguided. We need to be focused on stabilizing the longtime fiscal health of Cook County government instead of trying to score short term headlines in the media,” concluded Commissioner Morrison.