Moylan: Defeat of Beverage Tax a Victory for Local Residents

DES PLAINES, Ill. – Continuing his fight to protect working families from unfair taxes, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, is pleased to see Cook County officials vote to repeal and remove the “penny-per-ounce” Sugar-Beverage tax on Wednesday.

“It’s been a long, tough battle, but I’m glad the Cook County Commissioners listened to local residents and were finally able to repeal the terrible Sugar-Beverage Tax,” said Moylan. “We were out there every day, going door-to-door, and it feels great to be able to come together and ‘can the beverage tax.’”

Last November, the Cook County Board of commissioners ultimately voted in favor of adding an extra tax on sugar sweetened beverages throughout Cook County. The “penny-per-ounce” beverage tax was set to start on July 1^st of this year until a lawsuit pushed the tax back to August. Moylan was one of the first elected officials to come out against the tax and immediately kicked off a petition drive against the tax and raised awareness for constituents to voice their opinions to the Cook County Board.

“Most of the residents that I have talked to can’t afford any new taxes, and the cost for many of the small businesses in the area was starting to become unbearable,” said Moylan. “I’m glad we were able to send a strong message to the Cook County officials who were trying to nickel and dime working families. I would also like to thank everyone who signed my petition against the Sugar-Beverage Tax and helped us fight the good fight.”

In August, Moylan co-sponsored House Bill 4083 which would eliminate the beverage tax and prohibit any local government in Illinois from implementing such taxes in the future. For more information about this issue, or any questions relating the repeal of the Sugar-Beverage Tax, please contact Moylan’s full-time constituent office at 847-635-6821 or email StateRepMoylan@gmail.com.