Illinois retailers sue
Cook County to halt sugary drink tax
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[June 28, 2017] By
Julia Jacobs
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A group of retailers
Tuesday sued Cook County, Illinois, to try to block the sweetened
beverage tax scheduled to go into effect in the Chicago area on
Saturday, arguing it is unconstitutional and too vague for stores to
implement.
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As part of the Cook County Circuit Court lawsuit, the Illinois
Retail Merchants Association is seeking an injunction preventing
enforcement of the law and a declaration that it is invalid.
"This ordinance is incomplete and it's a perfect example of the
disaster that awaits when policies are hurried through without
serious thought to how they might impact the businesses that have to
try to comply with these policies," the retailer association's
president, Rob Karr, said in a statement.
The Cook County Board of Commissioners passed the tax last November.
It applies to all bottled sweetened beverages, including soda,
sports drinks and energy drinks.
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Cook County, which includes Chicago and its surroundings, joined a
growing number of localities that have adopted measures to cut
consumption of sugary drinks for health reasons, including Seattle,
Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's spokesman, Frank
Shuftan, said in an email that county officials are still reviewing
the lawsuit and they intend to "aggressively defend" the ordinance
in court. Preckwinkle previously lauded the tax as a benefit to
public health and a necessary way to increase revenue.
Officials with the Cook County Department of Revenue, which the
association also named in the lawsuit, could not be reached for
comment.
The state retail organization, which represents more than 20,000
stores, asserted in the lawsuit that the county's penny-per-ounce
beverage tax violates the state constitution by imposing different
taxes on similar beverage products.
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For example, a packaged sweetened ice tea would be subject to the
tax, while a similar drink served from behind the counter would not,
the complaint said.
The tax also makes retailers vulnerable to becoming ineligible for
the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP,
according to the complaint, because the program prohibits purchasing
food that has a state or local sales tax. The program provides food
benefits for millions of U.S. low-income individuals and families.
Other parties suing the county include Berkot Super Foods, Fairplay
Foods, Chiquita Food Market, Leamington Foods, Tony's Fresh Market,
Valli Produce and Walt's Food Centers.
(Reporting by Julia Jacobs; editing by Taylor Harris)
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