10-17-17 Soda Pop war in Cook County explodes with a fizzle

10-17-17 Soda Pop war in Cook County explodes with a fizzle

Podcast on Chicagoland and Cook County Politics by Ray Hanania

http://www.TheDailyHookah.com and http://www.SuburbanChicagoland.com

Cook County Board President Tony Preckwinkle and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg must think the people of Chicagoland's suburbs are stupid. It's the reason why Preckwinkle's oppressive tace on soda pop and sweetened drinks was so easily repealed.

A rebellion led by Cook County Board Commissioner Sean Morrison ignited a rebellion among suburban taxpayers and voters, that successful pressured the board to reverse itself. The soda tax imposed one cent tax on every ounce in a drink. That was 20 cents in additional taxes on top of the existing 9 to 10 percent sales tax on pop on a typical 20 ounce bottle of pop.

The soda tax war demonstrates Preckwinkle's poor leadership. She is not a very effective government official and the repeal exposes how easily she can be ousted if challenged by someone with a little basic knowledge of fairness, economic sense and management skills.

Read the print column by clicking here.