Chicago Has the Highest Sales Tax in the United States: 10.25%

Chicago's: 10.25% sales tax - Recently, I bought a few simple household items at the local Walgreens on Milwaukee and Armitage. I purchased laundry detergent, shampoo, some socks, a box of cereal, some masking tape and some wood glue. The price rang up as $30.19.

The clerk immediately said "That'll be thirty three twenty eight."

I looked up at the screen on the cash register and realized that I was just hit with our ten-percent sales tax. I crumpled up a twenty and a five and put them on the counter, disgusted. This is horrible! This is an abomination! Why am I paying these extra dollars?

I had heard rumors about people swarming to the local Best Buy and Circuit City to purchase more expensive items the day before the Sales Tax passed. Imagine having to pay an extra hundred dollars for that LCD television. Imagine having to pay an extra two-hundred dollars for that laptop. I shudder to think about purchasing a new car.

So, I have to ask why. Why does Chicago have the highest Sales Tax in the United States? Where is the money going?

The answer lies in the structure of funding of the public agencies in Chicago and Cook County. Cook County has a budget deficit of $234 Million (as of 2008). To stay in business, the County must increase revenue and reduce costs.

As the influx of cash from the Sales Tax comes in, the County can continue to provide the same services as it usually does: municipal works such as hospitals and schools, and jobs for people who live in the area. That's why they (County Board President Todd Stroger and the Board of Representatives) did that (Highest Sales Tax in the Nation).

Many people in Chicago blame poor leadership on the current budget situation in Cook County - it's a matter of service provided in Healthcare, Corrections, and many municipal services that are immediately necessary to the public. However, even with Hospital and Clinic closures, job cuts and budget crunches, the County still has a 10.25 percent sales tax.