Kifowit Fighting to Keep Cook County-Style Beverage Taxes Out of Local Communities

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, is sponsoring legislation to prevent Cook County-style beverage taxes from being implemented in other Illinois counties.

“This is just bad tax policy,” Kifowit said. “Taxes that hit average families and seniors on fixed incomes the hardest are simply unfair, and that’s what we’re seeing right now in Cook County. We need to take steps to prevent these taxes from nit-picking industries and products. I’m co-sponsoring this legislation that would prohibit this unfair beverage tax from spreading outside of Cook County and I hope to have this tax reversed in Cook County.”

Earlier this month, Cook County began taxing sweetened beverages including fruit and vegetable juices, sports drinks and flavored waters at the rate of one cent per ounce. In response, Kifowit is backing House Bill 4083 to prohibit any local government in Illinois from implementing such taxes in the future. Her measure would also eliminate Cook County’s “penny-per-ounce” tax on beverages.  For example, this tax increased the total cost of a 24 pack of soda to nearly $10.

“We need to focus on growing the economy and creating jobs, regressive and harmful taxation like this does the opposite,” Kifowit said. “This legislation would repeal this harmful tax and help protect Illinois jobs.”