Moylan Tours Local Businesses in Efforts Against Cook County Beverage Tax

DES PLAINES, Ill. – Continuing his fight against the Cook County Sugary Beverage Tax, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, has started to tour local businesses in the 55^th district that are impacted by the costly tax.

“The cost of this tax is becoming unbearable for local businesses,” Moylan said. “The hidden cost to these businesses forced to comply with the new tax is insurmountable. Many businesses are hit twice by this harmful tax, forcing them to pay more than double in new taxes.”

Last month, the Cook County Sweetened-beverage tax took effect, hitting sweetened beverages within the county at a rate of one cent per ounce. Moylan believes this “penny-per-ounce” tax is unfair and disproportionately hurts middle and working class families.

Moylan has also visited business owners in the industry who agree that the cost of this new tax will only continue to hurt businesses and may force some to cut jobs in the community.

“Many of these local businesses that are being impacted by the new tax buy ingredients for their products from distributors who must also comply with the ‘penny-per-ounce’ tax,” Moylan said. “This leads to local shops having to pay the new tax multiple times in order to produce one product, which they will then be taxed at sale.”

Last week, 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 to sign and/or circulate a petition for the repeal of the beverage tax, please contact Moylan’s full-time constituent office a t847-635-6821 or email StateRepMoylan@gmail.com.