The Chicago Tribune editorial board says residents of Chicago and Cook County are tired of politicians raising taxes to make up for government budget shortfalls. The latest example they say, a penny-per-ounce tax on beverages like teas, juice drinks, sports drinks and flavored water, will put another burden on hard working families and local businesses who are already feeling overtaxed.

In an editorial against the tax, the editorial board wrote, “[t]axpayers, particularly in Chicago and Cook County, are sick and tired of being nickeled-and-dimed. And they're not dumb. They know the soda tax is only the latest string of spaghetti Preckwinkle tossed at the wall to see if it would stick.”

We’ve already seen this happen in Philadelphia where these regressive taxes threaten local businesses and place a higher burden on lower-income families.

The editorial further states “people understand that it's one more blatant money grab to prop up spending. They know the revenue won't give them better services; it'll merely chase spending and debt that Cook County already has on its books.”

We believe there are better ways to deal with Cook County’s budget problems than placing the burden on the backs of hard-working families. And the residents of Cook County also agree.