Voters: Say no to sales tax hike

A countywide sales tax hike request on the Feb. 5 ballot is truly a tax that nobody wants.

That's because state lawmakers found a way to raise the sales tax for DuPage County when the recent transit bailout bill was approved.

Sales tax will go from 6.75 percent to 7.25 percent. Of that, a quarter of a percent will go to the RTA, while the other 7 percent is for DuPage County.

So even one-time supporters of the quarter percentage point increase on the ballot are now urging voters to reject it.

If it is passed by voters, County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom has stated he will fight to have it repealed.

County leaders initially put the measure on the ballot to generate money for a budget shortfall that was threatening to cause widespread layoffs through the county's public safety departments and severely cut funding to other departments as well.

However, Schillerstrom successfully lobbied state legislators to include an extra quarter percentage point sales tax increase for the county as part of the recent transit bailout package. That increase makes the county's ballot question moot, he said.

DuPage County

Request: Raise the sales tax a quarter of a percentage point

Cost: 25 cents per $100 in purchases

If it passes: You'll pay more in sales taxes in DuPage County. DuPage County Board Chairman vows to fight to have it repealed.

If it loses: Sales tax will remain the same

Call: (630) 407-6060 or www.staysafedupage.com