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An alliance of food and beverage retailer associations plans to file a lawsuit challenging a bottled water tax when it goes into effect in the new year, according to The Chicago Tribune.
The American Beverage Association, the International Bottled Water Association, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and the Illinois Food Retailers Association, have long argued against the tax, which will levy a 5-cent surcharge on every bottle of water bought in Chicago beginning Jan. 1.
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Editor's Insight: Congratulations to the various foodservice industry organizations for working together to overturn this unfair law. The law is unfair not only to businesses, but to consumers.
If this law is allowed to stand, municipalities nationwide will follow suit.
The Chicago Alderman who sponsored the measure, George Cardenas, has presented it as a way to combat the environmental damage that he blames on bottled water. However, the revenue from this tax is earmarked for the general fund, not any ecological initiatives.
The Chicago Sun Times opposed this measure, as reported on this site reported on 08-15-07 by Elliot Maras
.It is unfair for a government entity to single out any industry to cover a budget shortfall. If the state needs more money to meet its expenses, it needs to find an equitable way to do it. 01-02-08 by Elliot Maras