Skip to content
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Features
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
Suburban Chicagoland

Suburban Chicagoland

Original News, Features & Opinion on local and regional news you won't find anywhere else

  • About
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Our Writers
      • Ray Hanania
      • Bill Lipinski
      • Biography: Aaron Hanania
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reach Out
  • Sections
    • Events
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • “MIdnight Flight” Online Book
      • Midnight Flight Book Overview
      • Midnight Flight Introduction
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 1
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 2
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 3
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 4
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 5
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 6
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 7
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 8
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 9
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 10
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 11
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 12
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 13
    • Villages, Cities & Towns
    • Federal Office Holders
    • County Officials
    • Legislators
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Comment
  • Podcast
    • Ray Hanania on Politics
    • Two Guys on Politics
    • Hanania on Tiktok
  • News Wire
  • Archive 2004-2013
  • Toggle search form
  • Father and two daughters Jeffery M Leving
    Father’s Fight to Protect his Abused and Badly Beaten Daughters Dads' Rights
  • Illinois Senator Michael Hastings addressing the Orland Township Democratic Organization Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022
    Hastings announces $75,000 grant for Olympia Fields Bicentennial Park renovations Illinois Legislature
  • Alleged Member of Chicago Street Gang Charged With Soliciting the Murder of Senior Law Enforcement Official Involved in “Operation Midway Blitz” Crime
  • IIEC Logo
    The Energy Omnibus Bill will increase rates over the rest of this decade as Illinois families and businesses toil under higher utility costs Business
  • Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish hero of the American Revolution. After arriving in America in 1776, Kosciuszko joined the Continental Army. As a skilled engineer, he made significant contributions to the war by designing fortifications for several strategic places such as Philadelphia, West Point, and Saratoga. Kosciuszko later returned to Poland to lead his native military in a 1794 uprising. In Detroit, Courtesy of WIkipedia
    Cook County Treasurer Pappas showcases Polish photographer’s first-ever American exhibit and honors Polish American Heritage Month in Chicago Cook County
  • On Saturday, October 4th, Cook County Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar hosted the Fifth Annual 16th District Dia de los Muertos Resource Fair at his district office. Partnering with Commissioner Aguilar were the Village of Lyons, Lyons School District 103, Teamsters Local 777, and Rincon Family Services.
    Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar Hosts Fifth Annual Dia de los Muertos Family Resource Fair  Cook County
  • Jesse Jackson Jr July 2025
    Jesse Jackson Jr. Launches Candidacy for Congress Civil Rights
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas to Celebrate Diwali by Recognizing Indian Community Leaders Cook County
  • Andrew Boutros US Attorney Illinois
    Statement of US Attorney Andrew S. Boutros and Federal Law Enforcement Leadership in Chicago on Ongoing Criminal Immigration Enforcement Operations Chicago
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    The 5 Most Common Mistakes Homeowners Make with Property Taxes Cook County
  • Road construction cement truck. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Hastings: $123 million in IDOT projects will improve South Suburban roads through collaboration with local leaders construction
  • Source: Electric Power Monthly - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
    Ratepayers will lose in the rush to approve battery storage electricity legislation in Springfield Business
  • Joyful reunion photo courtesy of Jeffery M. Leving & Assc law firm
    Leving Team Prevented a Father’s Wrongful Separation from His Child Dads' Rights
  • CTF Illinois Orland Park, 18230 Orland Pkwy, Orland Park, IL 60467
    Hastings, Giannoulias announce opening of temporary driver services facility in Orland Park Baby Boomers
  • Emagine Theater Pink popcorn
    Popcorn with a purpose: Emagine Theatres brings back Pink Caramel Corn to support Pink Fund during Breast Cancer Awareness Month Business

Fighting oppressive taxes in Cook County

Posted on March 14, 2017January 17, 2023 By Ray Hanania 1 Comment on Fighting oppressive taxes in Cook County
SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  

Fighting oppressive taxes in Cook County

SW News Group Column March 9, 2017. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle bashed former President Todd Stroger when she ran against him for proposing outrageous hikes in taxes including the sales tax. But as soon as she got to office, she raised the taxes, too. Even worse. The soda tax is the straw that broke the camel’s back for taxpayers in Cook County.

By Ray Hanania

Taxes in Cook County are forcing me to take a closer look at how I spend my hard earned money. One thing I am doing is being more aware of opportunities to save money when shopping.

Cook County taxpayers have to start thinking the way shoppers do who clip coupons. It’s a hassle but it’s a part of their everyday lives. It’s the only way to beat unfair taxes.

For example, every Sunday morning I drive my son to Synagogue in Indiana. Before, I would drop him off, and drive back later to pick him up. Now, while he’s there, I take advantage of the fact that I am in Indiana and I go grocery shopping down the street at the Jewel Osco.

Taxes in Indiana are only 7 percent, compared to 9.75 percent in Orland Park. I save about $20 to $40 every time I shop in Indiana.

 

 

(Illinois has a 1 cent tax on food items, Indiana has none. But don’t get dragged into the complexities of the levels of taxation. The bottom line is Cook County is more than other counties. Illinois is more than other states!)

 

English: Toni Preckwinkle
Toni Preckwinkle (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Obviously, if I drove there just to shop, I’d have to figure in the cost of gasoline. But, whether I am in Indiana, or in Will (6.25 percent), or DuPage (7 percent), the gas costs are irrelevant.

Last year, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle rammed through a 1 cent per ounce hike on soda pop. It takes effect July 1. That’s on top of the sales tax rate.

I love Diet Coke and I drink a lot of it, everyday. In all honesty, though, it’s not the increase that upsets me. I’m going to go broke paying 16 cents more for each pop I drink. It’s the principle that upsets me and it should upset you.

Preckwinkle really hasn’t eliminated any waste in Cook County government since she was elected. She could combine agencies to eliminate redundancies and actually lay people off. She could crack down on excessive pensions, the biggest burden on taxpayers.

This is the trend in Cook County politics. Raise taxes instead of providing real leadership.

The soda tax was a major mistake on Preckwinkle’s part. Maybe she doesn’t go grocery shopping the way I do. But my desire for soda pop is want gets me to stop at a grocery store to buy groceries. It’s the lead item that fuels my grocery spending.

I bet most shoppers who drink soda pop are like me. Preckwinkle’s pop hike is the last straw.

Taxpayers need to change their buying habits. It’s easy. Look at your driving and travel habits. Buy food when you are in another county or another state and it’s convenient.

Even if you have to drive to another county, what you spend on gas is better than giving the money to Preckwinkle to waste.

Each time I buy groceries outside of Cook County, I feel good. The savings is measurable. The choice is simple. Either spend 16 cents more on pop and get angry, or spend 16 cents more on gas and feel better.

Illinois clearly has financial problems but when you look at the causes, they all trace back to Cook County and Chicago, bottomless pits of political and wasteful spending that we really don’t have to tolerate.

It’s not just Preckwinkle’s soda tax that bothers me.

I live in Orland Park, which has one of the highest sales taxes in the state, 9.75 percent. When Mayor Dan McLaughlin imposed the 1-cent Sales Tax many years ago, he promised to off-set it for residents by totally rebating their local property taxes we paid.

Of course, as time went on, McLaughlin reneged on the deal. Instead of fully rebating our local property taxes, McLaughlin reduced the rebate. And every four years at election time, we’re reminded that we get our property taxes “rebated.” Well, not “fully rebated.” But it still looks good in the election literature, I guess.

It’s little things like that detail that upset me. I like Dan. He’s a nice guy. Orland has grown enormously over the years. But I hate to see promises change, or promises made that should never have been made in the first place.

Preckwinkle campaigned against her predecessor, Todd Stroger, vowing not to raise the sales tax. Stroger lost because he proposed raising the County Sales Tax 1-Cent. Preckwinkle opposed it. Not long after Preckwinkle was elected, she turned around and hiked the sales tax anyway.

Stroger’s real problem wasn’t his sales tax hike plan. It was his failure to manage county government efficiently. Yet despite that, at least he was honest and a decent person.

(Ray Hanania is an award wining columnist and author who covered Chicago City Hall from 1976 until 1992. Email him at [email protected].)

newswire info
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].

Follow RayHanania at Twitter
Ray Hanania
Latest posts by Ray Hanania (see all)
  • Father’s Fight to Protect his Abused and Badly Beaten Daughters - October 9, 2025
  • Hastings announces $75,000 grant for Olympia Fields Bicentennial Park renovations - October 8, 2025
  • Alleged Member of Chicago Street Gang Charged With Soliciting the Murder of Senior Law Enforcement Official Involved in “Operation Midway Blitz” - October 8, 2025
NPV: 24
  • Tweet

SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  
 
 
 
           
Editors Pick, Opinion, Politics, rayhanania, Suburban Chicagoland Tags:Cook County, sales tax, soda pop tax, Toni Preckwinkle

Post navigation

Previous Post: Victorian home damaged by fire restored to fine detail
Next Post: Kennedy promises to bring diversity to Illinois government

Related Posts

  • Orland Firefighters battle demonstration fire at OFPD Open House event
    Firefighters respond to Orland home fire they witness from their firehouse across the street breaking news
  • Justice Department Health Care Fraud Unit
    Chicago Man Convicted of Participating in Illegal Kickback Conspiracy Chicago
  • Senior homecare dominik-lange-VUOiQW4OeLI-unsplash
    A bipartisan fix for America’s looming homecare crisis Baby Boomers
  • Preckwinkle supports Cook County’s Arab American community Blogger
  • Orland First Responders candidates Matthew G. Rafferty and William Bonnar Jr.
    First Responders announce candidacies for Orland Fire District Board seats Cook County
  • Sam Bankman-Fried in an interview during the Bitcoin 2021 conference. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Demands continue for Lightfoot and Garcia to detail ties to FTX scandal Business

More Related Articles

Jesse Jackson Jr July 2025 Jesse Jackson Jr. Launches Candidacy for Congress Civil Rights
District 103 Candidates distribute school supplies to students. Photo courtesy fo Steve Metsch District 103 Candidates Distribute Supplies To Students Education
Oktoberfest in Lyons? Festival
Trump trial driven more by politics than truth Blogger
Actress and sitcom comedian Roseanne Barr. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Media hypocrisy over Roseanne Barr Blogger
Abe Matthew, candidate for Congress int he 3rd District Matthew withdraws from 3rd Congressional race, endorses Newman Blogger

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Login with your Social ID
  • OPINION
  • 06-04-25 Two Guys on Politics Background Zoom LOGO with images
    Video Podcast: Trump Kimmel Kirk Great American Divide Illegal Aliens polling and Illegal Aliens and ICE
    September 20, 2025
  • Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch speaking at a West Side affordable housing dedication
    Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, one of the best candidates to become Illinois Governor
    September 7, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    What You’re Missing on Your Property Tax Bill
    September 5, 2025
  • 05-23-25 Jeffery M. Leving
    Children of divorce caught in the middle during the holidays
    August 27, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    We Can Help You Understand Your Property Taxes—In Nearly Any Language
    August 8, 2025
Subscribe to Ray Hanania's column graphic

Enter Your Email to Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns

  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png

Mohammed Faheem The Lightning Strike Radio

  • NEWS
  • Father and two daughters Jeffery M Leving
    Father’s Fight to Protect his Abused and Badly Beaten Daughters
    October 9, 2025
  • Illinois Senator Michael Hastings addressing the Orland Township Democratic Organization Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022
    Hastings announces $75,000 grant for Olympia Fields Bicentennial Park renovations
    October 8, 2025
  • Alleged Member of Chicago Street Gang Charged With Soliciting the Murder of Senior Law Enforcement Official Involved in “Operation Midway Blitz”
    October 8, 2025
  • IIEC Logo
    The Energy Omnibus Bill will increase rates over the rest of this decade as Illinois families and businesses toil under higher utility costs
    October 8, 2025
  • Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish hero of the American Revolution. After arriving in America in 1776, Kosciuszko joined the Continental Army. As a skilled engineer, he made significant contributions to the war by designing fortifications for several strategic places such as Philadelphia, West Point, and Saratoga. Kosciuszko later returned to Poland to lead his native military in a 1794 uprising. In Detroit, Courtesy of WIkipedia
    Cook County Treasurer Pappas showcases Polish photographer’s first-ever American exhibit and honors Polish American Heritage Month in Chicago
    October 8, 2025
John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO RAY HANANIA'S YOUTUBE VIDEOS


Click here to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.

Follow Ray Hanania at
Twitter
Facebook
TitkTok
BlueSky
RayHanania Columns

Creative Commons License
All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

Categories

Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group

Powered by PressBook Premium theme