Politics & Government
Bowling for Dollars: 2016 Cook County Budget Includes Taxes on Cable TV, Bowling
Cable TV and bowling are just two of the things that would be subject to the county's amusement tax under Preckwinkle's expansion plan.
More new taxes could be coming to Cook County under the 2016 budget plan proposed by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
And as Preckwinkle announced her plans to expand the county’s amusement tax to cover a variety of new activities, she also brought even worse news to many Chicago homeowners. A planned exemption to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s property tax increase for owners of homes valued at less than $250,000 can’t be implemented, Preckwinkle said during an editorial board meeting with Crain’s Chicago Business:
“We can’t do it,” said Preckwinkle, referring to an expanded homestead exemption Emanuel wants, a measure that would have to be administered by the county’s property-taxing system. “There’s no way we can get our computer software to do it.”
Find out what's happening in Tinley Parkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Preckwinkle’s comments, which came during a meeting with Crain’s editorial board on her own proposed 2016 budget, followed a meeting this morning between her and other county officials, notably including County Treasurer Maria Pappas, whose office actually sends out the property tax bills. Preckwinkle said her understanding of what is and is not technically possible came largely from Pappas.
Pappas, in a phone call, complained that Preckwinkle is “using” her as part of a political feud with the mayor, but she did confirm that, indeed, the county’s current, antiquated computer system cannot neatly divide properties and their tax rates between those located in and out of the city.
Find out what's happening in Tinley Parkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Just three months after the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved a sales tax increase to help shore up underfunded pensions, Preckwinkle unveiled a proposal that would expand the county’s 3 percent amusement tax to cable TV, recreational activities like bowling and golf, as well as to the markup on sports ticket resales...
You can read the rest of this article and more about the proposed budget here.
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