Chicago City Council considers 16 new tax and fee hikes
Chicago Ald. Will Hall, 6th ward, proposed 16 new tax and fee hikes to fellow city council members in a survey.
A leaked survey revealed a plan to explore 16 new tax and fee hikes on Chicago families. The Chicago City Council is diving into the plan on June 26.
The prospective hikes proposed to the city council by and Chairman of the City Council Subcommittee on Revenue Ald. Will Hall, 6th ward, could end up costing Chicagoans more on most expenses from standard services to property taxes. Hall is an ally in city hall to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
The 16 revenue proposals:
- Sales tax on services
- Property tax tied to Consumer Price Index
- Monthly/wireless plan tax
- Increase in Local Government Distributive Fund Share
- Head tax
- Alcohol tax
- Checking bag tax
- Video gaming tax
- Grocery tax
- City sticker increase
- Congestion tax
- Income tax surcharge
- Package tax
- Vacant lot tax
- Ticket reseller amusement tax
- Enterprise zones
The Google survey sent by Hall asked all 50 council members to respond “Yes” or “No” to the policy proposals without providing further descriptions.
The list includes policies Johnson proposed on the campaign trail, like reinstating the so-called “head tax,” which allowed the city to charge large businesses a per-employee fee.
It also includes longshots like a “congestion tax” that would charge drivers for using busier downtown roadways and recently repealed policies, like introducing a 1% grocery tax in Chicago as the state plans to eliminate it.
Hall said he wants the subcommittee to focus on proposals that would not raise costs for Chicagoans with the alderman defending ideas like Riverwalk advertisements and increasing Local Government Distributive Fund payments as ways to help raise revenues without directly taxing residents.
Whether Hall actually pursues these strategies is another matter. Johnson announced dates and locations for public forums where citizens can weigh in with their opinions on the proposals.