Community Corner
Patch Poll: Chicago Tax on Commuters: Fair or Foolish?
Chicago officials are searching for ways to raise more revenue, and one idea is a tax on the income of suburbanites who work in the city.
The inspector general for the city of Chicago got a lot of people upset last week when he recommended 19 ideas that he calculates would bring in almost $2.3 billion a year in revenue. Some of his ideas, such as installing tollbooths on Lake Shore Drive, are long shots. But others, particularly a "commuter" tax that would essentially be a 1 per cent income tax imposed only on suburbanites who commute to work in the city, may have some traction with Chicago aldermen, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The inspector general estimates such a tax could raise $300 million.
No doubt this and many other revenue-generating measures will be discussed as the city tries to eliminate its deficit. If the Chicago City Council asked your opinion? What would you say?
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