Chicago’s Increasing Tax Bill

And although the Obama election made many Americans more aware of their political place in society, the major events that get the most attention often distract us from the more deafening blows that go on in the political arena, like the new Chicago tax hike. Chicago taxes are among the highest in the nation. The sale tax is certainly in top ranking with cities like New York, and California. Then with the rising sin tax on cigarettes and alcohol, we seem to be paying as much in taxes, as we are for the actual product. Property taxes are rising, even in the neighborhoods where crime runs rampant and homeowners live in fear.

Yet politicians have saw fit to yet again to tax it’s citizens to fix problems not created by the common Chicagoan, but by those who have misappropriated the taxes over the past years, which in turn has led to this great deficit. The previous Income Tax was 3% it will now be 5%. The Corporate rate also increased from 4.8% to 7%, but with the many tax breaks recently instated, plus those that have been used over the many years, the corporations won’t feel the sting nearly as much as their many employees. Even the politicians will avoid being gravely affected. Pat Quinn was reported to have collected $157,122 last year as his annual income, paying out an estimated $4,468, which under the new tax would have been $7,500. But a single senior citizen with an annual income of $25,000 this year paid $660 in taxes; soon they’ll be looking to pay $1,100 under the new 5% raise. In an economy where seniors have to choose between food and medicine, this raise could ultimately mean life or death for some. While watching the Channel 7 news anchor stop passerby’s at a train station to have them weigh in on their thoughts, one woman asked the question that I had asked myself, why don’t politicians take a pay cut to show citizens that they are truly concerned with over spending. Newly elected Cook County Board president Toni Preckwinkle, upon entering office vowed to cut her own personal salary by ten percent to aid in the rebuilding of Cook County budget. And although she stated that there would still be layoffs and other pay cuts happening, she set the standard by taking a financial blow right along with the people.

This Article First Appeared in The Black Truth News Volume 2 Issue 2 January 2011

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