Stop all the counties

Recently, the Cook County Board passed a new beverage tax that would add a "penny-per-ounce" to many beverages you may purchase when grocery shopping, including ready-to-drink sweetened coffees and teas, sodas and diet sodas, sports and energy drinks among other beverages. This tax hurts middle-class families and local business owners. It especially hurts seniors who use various juices to take their medications. The middle class buys the most sodas, fruit juices, and everyday purchases, and now some families will be forced to pay significantly more for the same products. The unpopularity is apparent - a recent poll says that nearly 90 percent of consumers oppose this tax. That is why I want to thank state Rep. John D'Amico for backing House Bill 4083, which not only eliminates Cook County's beverage tax, but goes one step further by banning local governments from imposing similar taxes in the future.

Gerald Mokosaik

Morton Grove