Crush Liberalism

Chicago tries to tax itself to prosperity

This kind of economic ignorance is what you can expect when you let the left control the credit cards.  From Chicago:

The highest sales tax in the nation is now found in Chicago, and it’s costing Cook County residents more to buy just about everything.

As CBS 2′s Joanie Lum reports, a 1 percent sales tax hike approved by the Cook County Board for its 2008 budget went into effect on Tuesday. The hike is not sitting well with consumers or businesses.
…
The 1 percent increase hikes the sales tax in Chicago to 10.25 percent. By comparison, the sales tax in Lake and Will counties is 7 percent, and in DuPage County, it’s 7.25 percent.  (The neighboring counties are LOVING this! – Ed.)

A sales tax of 10.25 percent is also significantly higher than the sales tax in other major cities. The next highest rate in the country is in Memphis at 9.25 percent. (Friggin’ wonderful. My hometown is the SECOND most expensive city in America, in term of sales tax. – Ed.) New York, Los Angeles and Dallas all have a sales tax of less than 8.3 percent, Phoenix has a tax of 6.3 percent, and Denver’s sales tax is only 3.6 percent.

The Cook County Board voted to raise the sales tax at the end of February, after a five-month stalemate on the 2008 budget. Board President Todd Stroger and his supporters ultimately prevailed, saying the tax hike was necessary to provide health care and other services.

The tax hike applies to everything but groceries, medicine, cars and boats. For larger purchases like furniture or appliances, the taxes can add up.

It will definitely be cheaper to shop in the suburbs. Buy a $500 TV in DuPage County where the taxes are 6.75 percent and you’ll pay $534, in Chicago where the taxes are 9 percent, you’ll pay $545 for that same television, and when taxes increase to 10.25 percent, you’ll pay $551.

“It’s kind of frustrating,” said David Ashmalla. “I go to Best Buy or something, and high-priced electronics – it adds like $20, $30 to a TV I bought.”

Ashmalla said he plans to avoid it.

“I’m not going to be purchasing in Chicago much more – not electronics or anything high-priced,” he said. …

Every time, liberals will expect you to get by with less money long before they expect government to get by with less money.  Why, it’s as though it’s your patriotic duty to suffer…or something.

July 1, 2008 - Posted by crushliberalism | big government, economic ignorance, taxes