Pritzker Attacks Opposition to Grocery Tax Repeal
Governor JB Pritzker at the site of a proposed “birthing center” on Chicago’s south side Monday. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
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Governor JB Pritzker mocked those questioning his plan to end the state’s grocery tax because of its impact on the finances of local governments around the state.
While the state collects the 1-percent tax on some grocery items, almost all of the money is distributed to local governments around the state. Pritzker’s plan does not fill the expected $300-$400 million hole in funding for municipalities.
Pritzker slighted Republicans and mayors who have questioned how local governments will make up the loss in funding.
“When I did this as a temporary measure to try and fight inflation when it was so high, when it was much higher than it is now, there were people, especially on the other side of the aisle, who said ‘well, you should make it permanent.’ Well, guess what? That’s a good idea. We’re gonna make it permanent,” Pritzker said at an unrelated event Monday.
In the run up to the 2022 election, Pritzker and legislative Democrats suspended the tax through the end of 2022, but reimbursed local governments for the loss of the tax dollars.
Cities do not currently have the ability to enact a grocery tax on their own, but Pritzker said Monday he seemingly supports giving local governments the power to do so.
“Lowering the cost when you go to a grocery store, lowering costs for people, that’s hugely important,” Pritzker said. “Being able to save people hundreds of dollars over the course of a year, and even just every time you check out at a grocery counter, it seems to me is the right thing to do.”
Meanwhile, Pritzker said he is “reluctant” to support a taxpayer-funded plan to build a new stadium for the Chicago White Sox.
“I think there’s still a lot of work to be done by the White Sox as well as with members of the General Assembly, but I will say that I think I’ve been fairly clear about the fact that the taxpayers’ dollars are precious,” Pritzker said. “The idea of taking taxpayer dollars and subsidizing the building of a stadium does not seem like the [the highest] priority.”
Pritzker said he hasn’t been directly pitched by the White Sox or developers of the “78” project near downtown Chicago, though his staff has. He said information on the project so far is still “very limited.”
“Unless a case is made that the investment yields a long term return for the taxpayers, that we can justify in some way, I haven’t seen that yet,” Pritzker said.