A Cook County resident says in an opinion piece that the tax, which was pushed through by the county commissioners, “is one of those that goes from bad to worse the more you read about it.”

The local mom observes that people who live in the suburbs of Chicago can easily avoid the tax by shopping outside county lines, which will mean a loss of sales for local businesses that rely heavily on beverage sales to stay afloat. The tax is also an administrative nightmare. Local businesses will not only be hurt by the tax but will also be burdened by increased administrative costs due to the complexity of the tax. Small, local businesses should not be forced to suffer due to a tax that is little more than a money grab for the county. 

All of this and, “There is no evidence that such a tax fights obesity,” according to the piece.

Cook County families and businesses deserve better from their elected officials than a job-killing tax that makes it more expensive for families living paycheck to paycheck.